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Number theory Difficulty 6.5 National olympiad Prove it Romania

For any positive integer nn, define an={ns(n)}a_n = \{\frac{n}{s(n)}\}, where s(k)s(k) represents the sum of the digits of the natural number kk, and {x}\{x\} is the fractional part of the real number xx.

a) Prove that there exist infinitely many positive integers nn such that an=12a_n = \frac{1}{2}.

b) Determine the smallest positive integer nn such that an=16a_n = \frac{1}{6}.

Solution

a.
If s(n)=2s(n) = 2 and nn is odd, then an=12a_n = \frac{1}{2}. The only solutions with these properties are of the form n=10k+1n = 10^k + 1, with kNk \in \mathbb{N}^*.

b.
Let nn be a positive integer such that an={ns(n)}=16a_n = \left\{\frac{n}{s(n)}\right\} = \frac{1}{6}.
Since ns(n)ns(n)=16\frac{n}{s(n)} - \lfloor \frac{n}{s(n)} \rfloor = \frac{1}{6}, we infer that 6n6s(n)ns(n)=s(n)6n - 6 \cdot s(n) \cdot \lfloor \frac{n}{s(n)} \rfloor = s(n) (1). From here follows that 6s(n)6 \mid s(n), therefore 3n3 \mid n. Consider n=3kn = 3k and s(n)=6ms(n) = 6m, with m,km, k positive integers. From (1) we deduce that 3k6mk2m=m3k - 6m \cdot \lfloor \frac{k}{2m} \rfloor = m, hence 3m3 \mid m. Consequently m=3um = 3u, with uNu \in \mathbb{N}^* and s(n)=18us(n) = 18u, therefore 9n9 \mid n.

Consider n=9vn = 9v, with vv a positive integer. From (1) we obtain 3v6uv2u=u3v - 6u \cdot \lfloor \frac{v}{2u} \rfloor = u, hence 3u3 \mid u. Consider u=3tu = 3t, with tt a positive integer. It follows that m=9tm = 9t and s(n)=54ts(n) = 54t, and the minimal sum of the digits of the natural number nn is 54.

The smallest positive integer with the sum of its digits 54 is n=999999n = 999999.

But a999999={99999954}=12a_{999999} = \left\{\frac{999999}{54}\right\} = \frac{1}{2}, hence n=999999n = 999999 is not a solution. The next positive integer with the sum of its digits 54 is n=1899999n = 1899999, for which we have a1899999={189999954}={35185+16}=16a_{1899999} = \left\{\frac{1899999}{54}\right\} = \{35185 + \frac{1}{6}\} = \frac{1}{6}, therefore nmin=1899999n_{\min} = 1899999.

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