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Number theory Difficulty 4.9 AIME Prove it North Macedonia

Is the sum 12008+22008+32008+42008+52008+620081^{2008} + 2^{2008} + 3^{2008} + 4^{2008} + 5^{2008} + 6^{2008} divisible with 55? Explain your answer.

Solution

Notice that 12008=11^{2008} = 1. 21=22^1 = 2, 22=42^2 = 4, 23=82^3 = 8, 24=162^4 = 16, 25=322^5 = 32, ... From this we conclude that all the powers of 22 are ending on 22, 44, 88, 66 and they are repeating in that order, depending on the residuum of the power 11, 22, 33 or 00 when divided with 44. Because 20082008 is divisible with 44 we conclude that 220082^{2008} ends in 66. Similarly 320083^{2008} ends in 11, 420084^{2008} ends in 66, 520085^{2008} ends in 55 and 620086^{2008} ends in 66. Because 1+6+1+6+5+6=251+6+1+6+5+6=25, which means that it ends on 55, it follows that 12008+22008+32008+42008+52008+620081^{2008} + 2^{2008} + 3^{2008} + 4^{2008} + 5^{2008} + 6^{2008} ends on 55, hence is divisible with 55.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.