2013 AIME II Problems/Problem 14
Contents
Problem 14
For positive integers and
, let
be the remainder when
is divided by
, and for
let
. Find the remainder when
is divided by
.
Solution
The Pattern
We can find that
Observing these and we can find that the reminders are in groups of three continuous integers, considering this is true, and we get
So the sum is ,it is also 17+20+23+...+95, so the answer is
.
By: Kris17
The Intuition
First, let's see what happens if we remove a restriction. Let's define as
Now, if you set as any number greater than
, you get n, obviously the maximum possible. That's too much freedom; let's restrict it a bit. Hence
is defined as
Now, after some thought, we find that if we set we get a remainder of
, the max possible. Once we have gotten this far, it is easy to see that the original equation,
has a solution with .
~Rowechen
The Proof
The solution presented above does not prove why is found by dividing
by
. Indeed, that is the case, as rigorously shown below.
Consider the case where . We shall prove that
.
For all
, where
. This is because
and
. Also, as
increases,
decreases. Thus,
for all
.
Consider all
and
. Also,
. Thus, for
for
.
Similar proofs apply for and
. The reader should feel free to derive these proofs themself.
Generalized Solution
Highest remainder when
is divided by
is obtained for
and the remainder thus obtained is
.
This is the second highest remainder when
is divided by
and the highest remainder occurs when
is divided by
=
for odd
and
=
for even
.
Using the lemma above:
So the answer is
Proof of Lemma: It is similar to stated above.
Kris17
Video Solution
https://youtu.be/mQ4_1dp8Wm8?si=Ae5HAc0cZQAjdtWl
~MathProblemSolvingSkills.com
See Also
2013 AIME II (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
Preceded by Problem 13 |
Followed by Problem 15 | |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 | ||
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