Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /31 of 84

, 2002

Algebra Difficulty 5.2 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:

Determine the number of four-digit integers nn such that nn and 2n2 n are both palindromes.

Solution

Solution:

Let n=abban = \underline{a} \underline{b} \underline{b} \underline{a}. If a,b4a, b \leq 4 then there are no carries in the multiplication n×2n \times 2, and 2n=(2a)(2b)(2b)(2a)2 n = (2 a)(2 b)(2 b)(2 a) is a palindrome. We shall show conversely that if nn and 2n2 n are palindromes, then necessarily a,b4a, b \leq 4. Hence the answer to the problem is 4×5=204 \times 5 = \mathbf{20} (because aa cannot be zero).

If a5a \geq 5 then 2n2 n is a five-digit number whose most significant digit is 1, but because 2n2 n is even, its least significant digit is even, contradicting the assumption that 2n2 n is a palindrome. Therefore a4a \leq 4. Consequently 2n2 n is a four-digit number, and its tens and hundreds digits must be equal. Because a4a \leq 4, there is no carry out of the ones place in the multiplication n×2n \times 2, and therefore the tens digit of 2n2 n is the ones digit of 2b2 b. In particular, the tens digit of 2n2 n is even. But if b5b \geq 5, the carry out of the tens place makes the hundreds digit of 2n2 n odd, which is impossible. Hence b4b \leq 4 as well.

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 reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.