IOQM (2024) Practice Sheet-2

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Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics

Practice Sheet-2
Answers
1. (07)
2. (776)
4. (49)
6. (18)
7. (21)
8. (66)
9. (14)
10. (15)
11. (83)
12. (03)
13. (60)
14. (65)
15. (01)
16. (03)
17. (22)

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Solution

1. Answer (07) Rewrite this congruence as an equivalent

equation
The last digit of a number is equivalent to the
j = 5k + 4, for some integer k.
number taken modulo 10. Working modulo 10, we
Substitute this expression for j into the expression
have
for x
1717  717  (72)8.7 (mod 10)
x = 7(5k + 4) + 6
 (49)8.7  98.7 (mod 10)
x = 35k + 34.
 (92)4.7  (81)4.7 (mod 10)
Now substitute this expression for x into the final
 14.7 7 (mod 10).
congruence and solve the congruence for k
2. Answer (776)
35k + 34  1 (mod 3)
We have
k  0 (mod 3)
240 = (210)4
Write this congruence as an equation and then
= 10244
substitute the expression for k into the expression
 244
for x
 5762 (mod 1000)
k = 3l, for some integer l
We can write 5762 as
x = 35(3l) + 34
(500 + 76)(500 + 76) = 250000 + 2 × 500 × 76 +
x = 105l + 34
76 × 76
This equation implies the congruence
= 250000 + 76000 + 5776
x  34 (mod 105)
 0 + 5776
This happens to be the solution to the system of
 776 (mod 1000)
congruences.
Since 240 leaves a remainder of 776 when divided 4. Answer (49)
by 1000, its last three digits are 776. Observe that 100 = 25 × 4 and gcd (25, 4) = 1.
3. Solution Then by the Chinese remainder theorem, the
Begin with the congruence with the largest
value x  4919 mod 100 is in correspondence with
modulus, x  6 (mod 7). Rewrite this congruence
the solutions to the simultaneous congruences
as an equivalent equation
x  4919 (mod 25)
x = 7j + 6, for some integer j.
x  4919 (mod 4)
Substitute this expression for x into the
Now, 4919  (–1)19  –1 (mod 25)
congruence with the next largest modulus
4919  (1)19  1 (mod 4)
x  4 (mod 5)
Then the Chinese remainder theorem gives the
 7j + 6  4 (mod 5)
value
Then solve this congruence for j
x  ((–1)(4)(19) + (1)(25)(1)) (mod 100)
j  4 (mod 5)
 (–76 + 25) (mod 100)

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 –51 (mod 100) 12 55 50

K 8 7  2
 49 (mod 100) p q r

Therefore, the last two digits of 4919 are 49. Note

Then p  {2, 3}, q  {5, 11} and r  {2, 5}. These
that the above system of congruences is obtained
values give K  {14, 12}, K  {18, 12}, and
for any odd exponent of 49, so the solution using
K {27, 12}, giving K = 12 and (p, q, r) = (3, 11,
the Chinese remainder theorem also gives that
5). We can then compute A = pqr K = 311512
the last two digits of 49k are 49 for any positive
= 1980.
odd value of k.
7. Answer (21)
5. Solution
We need to first prove that every positive integer
Note that the greatest common divisor of the
N less than 21 can be written as sum of two
moduli is 2. The first congruence implies x  1
nonnegative palindromic integers. If N is in the
(mod 2) and the second congruence also implies
interval [1, 9], then it can be written as 0 + N. If N
x  1 (mod 2). Therefore, there is no conflict
is in the interval [10, 18], it can be written as 9 +
between these two congruences. In fact, the
(N – 9). In addition, 19 and 20 can be written as
system of congruences can be reduced to a
11 + 8 and 11 + 9, respectively.
simpler system of congruences by dividing out
the GCD of the moduli from the modulus of the Second, we need to show that 21 cannot be

first congruence expressed in such a way. Lets suppose 21 = a +

b with a  b. It follows that b has to be at least
 x  2  mod3 

 x  3  mod8  11. Since b  21, the only way for b to be
palindromic is that b = 11. However, this leads to
Write the second congruence as an equation
a = 21 – b = 10, which is not a palindrome.
x = 8j + 3
Therefore, 21 is the smallest number that satisfy
Substitute into the first congruence and solve for j
the problem condition.
8j + 3  2 (mod 3)
8. Answer (66)
j  1 (mod 3)
We compute
Write this congruence as an equation and then
N
N   1616  242
N 16 424 26 2
 22
66
 22 ,
substitute into the equation for x
j = 3k + 1
So, x = 66
x = 8(3k + 1) + 3
9. Answer (14)
x = 24k + 11 Let ri denote the remainder when 2i is divided by
This gives x  11 (mod 24) as the solution to the
25. Note that because 2(25)  220  1 (mod 25), r
system of congruence. Note that lcm(6, 8) = 24.
6. Answer (18) is periodic with length 20. In addition, we find that
A 20 is the order of 2 mod 25. Since 2i is never a
Note that A is a multiple of p, q and r, so K 
pqr
is an integer. Dividing through, we have that multiple of 5, all possible integers from 1 to 24 are

represented by r1, r2,…,r20 with the exceptions of

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5, 10, 15 and 20. Hence, The number of ways to select any (a, b) with a
and b dividing 720 is 30 * 30 = 900, so there are
 20
i 1 ri   i 1 i  (5  10  15  20)  250 .
24

900 – 270 = 630 ways to select a and b such that

We also have a, b divide 720 but ab doesn’t.
2015
2 i 2015
2  ri
i Now, each a, b > 0 corresponds to four solutions
  25    25 (±a, ±b) giving the final answer of 2520. (Note that
i 0   i 0

ab  0).
2015
2i 2015 ri
= 
i 0

25 i  0 25
Therefore, p = 2520
11. Answer (83)
22016
1 1999
ri 15
ri The number 23 is prime and divides every 23rd
=
25
  25   25
i 0 i 0
 2000 
2016
1
number. In all, there are    86 numbers
2  250  15 ri  23 
=  100  
25  25  i  0 25 from 1 to 2000 that are divisible by 23. Among
2 2016
1 r 15
those 86 numbers, three of them, namely 232,
   i (mod 100)
25 i  0 25
2  232, and 3  232, are divisible by 232. Hence
We can calculate  15
i 0 ri  185 , so 2389 |2000! And x = 89 –6 = 83.
2015
 2i  22016  186 12. Answer (03)
  25   25
(mod 100)
i 0   Let xyzyx be the digits of the palindrome a.

There are three cases. If z < 9, then the next

Now, 2(625)  2500  1 (mod 625), so 22016  216 
536 (mod 625). Hence 22016 – 186  350 (mod palindrome greater than xyzyx is xy ( z  1)yx ,

625), and 22016 – 186  2 (mod 4). This implies which differs by 100. If z = 9 but y < 9, then the

that 22016 – 186  350 (mod 2500), and so next palindrome up is x( y  1)0( y  1)x , which

22016  186 differes from xy 9 yx by 110. Finally, if y = z = 9,

 14 (mod 100).
25
then the next palindrome after x 999 x is
10. Answer (15)
First consider the case a, b > 0. We have 720 = ( x  1)000( x  1), which gives a difference of 11.
24  32  5, so the number of divisors of 720 is Thus, the possible differences are 11, 100, 110.
5 * 3 * 2 = 30. We consider the number of ways 13. Answer (60)
to select an ordered pair (a, b) such that a, b, ab
Two opposite vertices are relatively prime, but
all divide 720. Using the balls and urns method
they both share a factor with their common
on each of the prime factors, we find the number
neighbor. So that common neighbor must have
of ways to distribute the factors of 2 across a and
two prime factors. So each of the 4 numbers has
6 4
b is   , the factors of 3 is   , the factors of 5 two prime factors, which are not shared with the
2 2
opposite vertex. Moreover, it suffices to choose
3
is   . So the total number of ways to select (a, the vertices to be the numbers ab, bc, cd, da for
 2
some prime numbers a, b, c, d. It’s clear that we
b) with a, b, ab all dividing 720 is 15 * 6 * 3 = 270.

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IOQM (2024) Practice Sheet-2

should choose them to be the smallest primes 2, Similarly, 5n – 3 = 2, therefore, n = 1, numbers

3, 5, 7 in some order. The order that minimizes are –1, –1 and 2 but negative numbers cannot
the sum of all of the numbers gives 14, 10, 15, be prime numbers. So, there is only one value of
21 for a sum of 60. n, that is n = 2.
14. Answer (65) 16. Answer (03)
The answer is n = 130. Note that x2  0 (mod 4) Write n = 8a + b, where a and b are integers with
when x is even and that x2  1 (mod 4) when x is 0  b < 8. Since x  n  b (mod 8) the possible
odd. values of x are b, 8 + b, …, 8(a – 1) + b. For
If n is odd, then all the di are odd and x = b + 8i, where 0  i  a – 1, 8(y + z) = 8(a – i)
n  d  d  d  d  1  1  1  1  0 (mod 4), a
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
4 or y + z = a – i, which admits a – i – 1 ordered
contradiction. Thus, 2 | n. pairs (y, z) of positive integer solutions, namely,
If 4 | n then d1 = 1 and d2 = 2, and (1, a – i – 1), …, (a – i – 1, 1). Hence there are

n  1  0  d 32  d 42  0 (mod 4), a contradiction. a 1 a 1 a  a  1

 a  i  1   i  2
Thus, 4 | n. i0 i0

Ordered triples satisfying the conditions of the

Therefore {d1, d2, d3, d4} = {1, 2, p, q} or {1, 2, p,
a  a  1
2p} for some odd primes p, q. In the first case n problem. Solving  66 gives a = 37.
2
 3 (mod 4), a contradiction. Thus n = 5(1 + p2)
Therefore, the maximum value of n is equal to
and 5 | n, so p = d3 = 5 and n = 130.
37.8 + 7 = 303, obtained by setting by b = 7.
15. Answer (01)
17. Answer (22)
All prime numbers except 2 are odd numbers.
For a positive integer n let rad n be the product
Therefore, sum of 3 prime numbers except 2 as
of the distinct prime factors of n. Observe that if
one of them will be an odd number. But here
n | mm all prime factors of n must divide m, so
3n – 4 + 4n – 5 + 5n – 3 = 12n – 12 = 12(n –1)
which is an even number as n is a natural rad n | m. Therefore, if n is such an integer rad n

number, therefore one of them must be 2. must divide at least two of the numbers in {1, 2,
3n – 4 = 2, therefore n = 2, numbers are 2, 3 and 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10} implying that rad n is either
7 which are prime numbers 1, 2, 3 or 5. These have 1, 10, 6 and 5 cases,
7 respectively for a total of 22.
Similarly, 4n – 5 = 2, but n  which is not a
4
natural number.

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