AMC 10 Step by Step

2023 AMC 10A Problem 12

P11-15~3 minPrint

How many three-digit positive integers NN satisfy the following properties?

  • The number NN is divisible by 77 .
  • The number formed by reversing the digits of NN is divisible by 55 .
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Key insight

Reversing N moves its first digit to the end. A multiple of 5 ends in 0 or 5, and N cannot start with 0, so N is in the 500s.

Solution

  1. Use the second condition first, because it pins down a digit. Take an example: N=532N = 532 reversed is 235235. The first digit of NN becomes the last digit of the reversed number.
  2. A number is divisible by 55 only when its last digit is 00 or 55. So the first digit of NN is 00 or 55.
  3. A three-digit number cannot start with 00. So NN starts with 55: it is somewhere from 500500 to 599599.
  4. Any number in the 500500s works for the second condition. Even N=560N = 560 reverses to 065=65065 = 65, which is still a multiple of 55.
  5. Now count the multiples of 77 from 500500 to 599599. Since 7×71=4977 \times 71 = 497 and 7×72=5047 \times 72 = 504, the first one is 504504. Since 7×85=5957 \times 85 = 595 and 7×86=6027 \times 86 = 602, the last one is 595595.
  6. The multiples are 7×72,7×73,…,7×857 \times 72, 7 \times 73, \ldots, 7 \times 85. That is 85−72+1=1485 - 72 + 1 = 14 numbers.

The answer is (B) 14\boxed{\textbf{(B)}\ 14}.

Why this works

Divisibility by 55 (or by 22 or 1010) depends only on the last digit. So a rule about the reversed number is really a rule about just one digit of NN, its first digit. Once that is fixed, the problem becomes counting multiples of 77 in a block of 100100 numbers. When counting from the 7272nd multiple to the 8585th, remember to add 11.

Concise solution

A shorter write-up, the way contest solutions are usually written. It may take a different route from the solution above.

Reversing the digits of NN makes its hundreds digit the new units digit. A number is divisible by 55 exactly when its last digit is 00 or 55. The hundreds digit of a three-digit number cannot be 00, so it must be 55: NN lies between 500500 and 599599.

Now count multiples of 77 in that range. The smallest is 504=7⋅72504 = 7 \cdot 72 and the largest is 595=7⋅85595 = 7 \cdot 85, so there are
85−72+1=1485 - 72 + 1 = 14
of them.

(If NN ends in 00, such as 560560, the reversal 065=65065 = 65 is still divisible by 55, so no cases are lost.)

The answer is (B) 14\boxed{\textbf{(B)}\ 14}.

Review in the AoPS books

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Problem © Mathematical Association of America (MAA), American Mathematics Competitions. Reproduced for non-commercial educational use. Solution and commentary are original to this site.