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Number theory Difficulty 6.4 National olympiad Find the answer

For any positive integer nn, we define the integer P(n)P(n) by :

P(n)=n(n+1)(2n+1)(3n+1)...(16n+1)P(n)=n(n+1)(2n+1)(3n+1)...(16n+1).

Find the greatest common divisor of the integers P(1)P(1), P(2)P(2), P(3),...,P(2016)P(3),...,P(2016).

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

To find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the integers P(1),P(2),P(3),,P(2016) P(1), P(2), P(3), \ldots, P(2016) , where P(n)=n(n+1)(2n+1)(3n+1)(16n+1) P(n) = n(n+1)(2n+1)(3n+1)\cdots(16n+1) , we will first consider each part of the product and determine if there is a consistent factor across all P(n) P(n) .

### Step 1: Analyze the Form of P(n) P(n)

The expression for P(n) P(n) involves the product:

P(n)=n(n+1)(2n+1)(3n+1)(16n+1) P(n) = n(n+1)(2n+1)(3n+1)\cdots(16n+1)

To find a common factor, we need to explore each factor modulo small primes.

### Step 2: Explore Modulo Small Primes

We'll compute P(n) P(n) modulo small primes to find a potential common divisor. The primary candidates are small primes.

#### Consider modulo 2:

- n0(mod2) n \equiv 0 \pmod{2} or n+10(mod2) n+1 \equiv 0 \pmod{2} , so for all n n , P(n)0(mod2) P(n) \equiv 0 \pmod{2} .

#### Consider modulo 3:

- For any n n : n0,1,2(mod3) n \equiv 0, 1, 2 \pmod{3} , one of the factors n,(n+1),(2n+1),,(16n+1) n, (n+1), (2n+1), \ldots, (16n+1) will be divisible by 3. Thus, P(n)0(mod3) P(n) \equiv 0 \pmod{3} .

#### Consider modulo 5:

- For any n n , examine possible values of each factor modulo 5. One of n,(n+1),(2n+1),(3n+1),,(16n+1) n, (n+1), (2n+1), (3n+1), \ldots, (16n+1) will be divisible by 5 over five consecutive values, thus P(n)0(mod5) P(n) \equiv 0 \pmod{5} .

By checking analogous conditions for each prime factor:

- Modulo 7: Similarly, there exists at least one factor of 7.
- Modulo 11: Similarly, there exists at least one factor of 11.
- Modulo 13: Similarly, there exists at least one factor of 13.
- Modulo 17: Similarly, there exists at least one factor of 17.

### Step 3: Conclude the GCD

The GCD of P(1),P(2),P(3),,P(2016) P(1), P(2), P(3), \ldots, P(2016) is the product of these common factors across n n :

510510 \boxed{510510}

This number, 510510, is 2×3×5×7×11×13×17 2 \times 3 \times 5 \times 7 \times 11 \times 13 \times 17 , the product of the primes up to and including 17, ensuring it divides each P(n) P(n) .

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Source: Omni-MATH, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.