In an n×n checkerboard, the rows are numbered 1 to n from top to bottom, and the columns are numbered 1 to n from left to right. Chips are to be placed on this board so that each square has a number of chips equal to the absolute value of the difference of the row and column numbers. If the total number of chips placed on the board is 2660, find n.
Solution
Solution:
The total number of chips for an n×n board is equal to n×0+2×(n−1)×1+2×(n−2)×2+⋯+2×1×(n−1)=i=1∑n2×(n−i)×i=2(ni=1∑ni−i=1∑ni2)=2(n2n(n+1)−6n(n+1)(2n+1))=31n3−31n Find n such that 31n3−31n=2660. This leads to n3−n=7980. Note that n3−n−7980=(n−20)(n2+20n+399)=0 and the only integer satisfying it is 20.
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Source: MathNet,
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