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Algebra Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Prove it Estonia

Let aa and bb be positive integers such that bb is divisible by aa and writing aa and bb one after another in this order gives (a+b)2(a+b)^2. Prove that ba=6\frac{b}{a} = 6.

Solution

Let nn be the number of digits of bb and let b=kab = k a. Then by the conditions of the problem, 10na+ka=(a+ka)210^n \cdot a + k a = (a + k a)^2, or
a=10n+k(k+1)2(1) a = \frac{10^n + k}{(k+1)^2} \qquad (1)
If kk were odd, then the numerator on the r.h.s. of (1) would be odd and the denominator even, so aa could not be an integer. Hence kk is even.

If k=2k = 2 then the cross-sum of 10n+210^n + 2 is 3, which is not divisible by (2+1)2=9(2+1)^2 = 9. The case k=4k = 4 also leads to a contradiction, since 10n+410^n + 4 ends with 4, hence cannot be divisible by (4+1)2=25(4+1)^2 = 25. Thus k6k \ge 6.
In the following we show first that k8k \le 8 and finally that k8k \ne 8. The assumptions ka=b10n1k a = b \ge 10^{n-1} give 10ka10n10 k a \ge 10^n. Equality (1) implies
10n=(k+1)2ak=k2a+2ka+ak=(k+2)ka+ak. 10^n = (k+1)^2 \cdot a - k = k^2 a + 2 k a + a - k = (k+2) \cdot k a + a - k.
Thus 10ka(k+2)ka+ak10 k a \ge (k+2) \cdot k a + a - k, whence
(8k)kaak. (8-k) \cdot k a \ge a-k.
As aa is positive, (8k)ka>k(8-k) \cdot k a > -k. As both sides of this inequality are divisible by kk, this implies (8k)ka0(8-k) \cdot k a \ge 0. Consequently 8k08-k \ge 0, i.e., k8k \le 8.
If k=8k=8, the inequality (2) implies a8a \le 8 whereas the equality (1) reduces to a=10n+881a = \frac{10^n+8}{81}. Hence aa ends with digit 8, leaving a=8a=8 and b=88=64b=8 \cdot 8 = 64 as the only possibility. But 864(8+64)2864 \ne (8+64)^2, contradicting the conditions of the problem.

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