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AMC 12 Mock Exam 3 Problem 2

Problem 2 of 25

A craftsman has nn identical boxes, each containing 20252025 unit cubes. He wants to use all of the unit cubes in the boxes, with none left over, to build a single solid cube. What is the smallest positive integer nn for which this is possible?

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Solution

The total number of unit cubes is 2025n2025n, so we need the smallest nn for which 2025n2025n is a perfect cube. Since 2025=34⋅522025=3^4\cdot5^2, a multiple 2025n2025n is a perfect cube exactly when every prime exponent in it is a multiple of 33. The exponent of 33 must rise from 44 to at least 66 and the exponent of 55 from 22 to at least 33, so nn must be a multiple of 32⋅5=453^2\cdot5=45; and 2025⋅45=36⋅53=(9⋅5)32025\cdot45=3^6\cdot5^3=(9\cdot5)^3 is a cube. The answer is 45\boxed{45}.

Tagged: prime factorization and perfect cubes