Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /39 of 42

Number theory Difficulty 7.1 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Ireland

The equation AB×CD=EFGHAB \times CD = EFGH, where each of the letters AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF, GG, HH represents a different digit and the values of AA, CC and EE are all non-zero, has many solutions, e.g., 46×85=391046 \times 85 = 3910. Find the smallest value of the four-digit number EFGHEFGH for which there is a solution.

Solution

Solution 1. Consider factorisations of numbers EFGHEFGH with all digits different, and identify all factorisations consisting of two 2-digit numbers. Start with the smallest possible number 10231023 and stop when a solution is found.
1023=31131=1193=31331024=210=1664=32321025=5241=25411026=23319=1857=1954=27381027=13791028=222571029=373=21491032=23343=1286=24431034=25171035=32523=1569=23451036=22737=1474=28371037=17611038=231731039prime \begin{align*} 1023 &= 3 \cdot 11 \cdot 31 = 11 \cdot 93 = 31 \cdot 33 \\ 1024 &= 2^{10} = 16 \cdot 64 = 32 \cdot 32 \\ 1025 &= 5^2 \cdot 41 = 25 \cdot 41 \\ 1026 &= 2 \cdot 3^3 \cdot 19 = 18 \cdot 57 = 19 \cdot 54 = 27 \cdot 38 \\ 1027 &= 13 \cdot 79 \\ 1028 &= 2^2 \cdot 257 \\ 1029 &= 3 \cdot 7^3 = 21 \cdot 49 \\ 1032 &= 2^3 \cdot 3 \cdot 43 = 12 \cdot 86 = 24 \cdot 43 \\ 1034 &= 2 \cdot 517 \\ 1035 &= 3^2 \cdot 5 \cdot 23 = 15 \cdot 69 = 23 \cdot 45 \\ 1036 &= 2^2 \cdot 7 \cdot 37 = 14 \cdot 74 = 28 \cdot 37 \\ 1037 &= 17 \cdot 61 \\ 1038 &= 2 \cdot 3 \cdot 173 \\ 1039 & \quad \text{prime} \end{align*}

1042=25211043=71491045=51119=1195=19551046=25231047=33491048=231311049=prime1052=222631053=3413=1381=27391054=21731=1762=31341056=25311=1196=1288=1666=2248=2444=32331057=71511058=2232=2346Eureka! \begin{align*} 1042 &= 2 \cdot 521 \\ 1043 &= 7 \cdot 149 \\ 1045 &= 5 \cdot 11 \cdot 19 = 11 \cdot 95 = 19 \cdot 55 \\ 1046 &= 2 \cdot 523 \\ 1047 &= 3 \cdot 349 \\ 1048 &= 2^3 \cdot 131 \\ 1049 &= \text{prime} \\ 1052 &= 2^2 \cdot 263 \\ 1053 &= 3^4 \cdot 13 = 13 \cdot 81 = 27 \cdot 39 \\ 1054 &= 2 \cdot 17 \cdot 31 = 17 \cdot 62 = 31 \cdot 34 \\ 1056 &= 2^5 \cdot 3 \cdot 11 = 11 \cdot 96 = 12 \cdot 88 = 16 \cdot 66 = 22 \cdot 48 = 24 \cdot 44 = 32 \cdot 33 \\ 1057 &= 7 \cdot 151 \\ 1058 &= 2 \cdot 23^2 = 23 \cdot 46 \quad \text{Eureka!} \end{align*}

Solution 2. Some simple observations help in reducing cases. Without loss of generality, we will assume throughout AB<CDAB < CD. We cannot have B=0B = 0 or D=0D = 0, as this would imply H=0H = 0. Similarly, we cannot have B=1B = 1 or D=1D = 1, as this would imply H=BH = B or H=DH = D. We cannot have A=1A = 1, as this would imply E=1E = 1, since AB×CD<2098=1960<2000AB \times CD < 20 \cdot 98 = 1960 < 2000.
If AB=21AB = 21 then AB×CD2198=2058AB \times CD \le 21 \cdot 98 = 2058 and E{1,2}E \in \{1, 2\} which is impossible. Thus the smallest possible value of ABAB is 2323.
If AB=23AB = 23, the smallest possible value of CDCD is 4545. But 2345=103523 \cdot 45 = 1035, however 2346=105823 \cdot 46 = 1058 yields a solution.
We need to show that there is no solution with a smaller value of AB×CDAB \times CD. We only need to consider these possibilities: AB=24,25,26,27,28,29,32AB = 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, because 322=1024<1058<1089=33232^2 = 1024 < 1058 < 1089 = 33^2. In each case we keep in mind that we wish to achieve 1000<AB×CD<10581000 < AB \times CD < 1058.
For AB=24AB = 24 there are no possibilities for CDCD, since CDCD cannot contain the digit 44, and 2439<100024 \cdot 39 < 1000 while 2450>105824 \cdot 50 > 1058. Therefore no solutions exist in this case.
For AB=25AB = 25, the possibilities for CDCD are 4040, 4141, 4242. None of these work.
For AB=26AB = 26, the possibilities for CDCD are 3939, 4040. Neither works.
For AB=27AB = 27, the possibilities for CDCD are 3838, 3939. Neither works.
For AB=28AB = 28, the possibilities for CDCD are 3636, 3737. Neither works.
For AB=29AB = 29, the possibilities for CDCD are 3535, 3636. Neither works.
For AB=32AB = 32, the possibilities for CDCD are 3232, 3333. Neither works.
Hence 2346=105823 \cdot 46 = 1058 is the smallest solution.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.