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2005 AMC 10B Problem 22

Problem 22 of 25HarderAlgebraNumber TheoryCounting & Probability

For how many positive integers nn less than or equal to 2424 is n!n! evenly divisible by 1+2++n?1 + 2 + \cdots + n?

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Solution

Since 1+2++n=n(n+1)2,1 + 2 + \cdots + n = \dfrac{n(n+1)}{2}, divisibility is equivalent to n!n(n+1)2=2(n1)!n+1 \dfrac{n!}{\frac{n(n+1)}{2}} = \dfrac{2(n-1)!}{n+1} being an integer. Put N=n+1.N=n+1. If NN is composite and not a square, it has two distinct proper factors whose product is N;N; both occur in (N2)!=(n1)!.(N-2)!=(n-1)!. If N=k2N=k^2 with k3,k\ge3, the factors kk and 2k2k occur in that factorial, so it contains a multiple of 2N.2N. The remaining composite case, N=4,N=4, also divides 2(N2)!=4.2(N-2)!=4. Thus the fraction is an integer whenever NN is composite. If N=n+1N=n+1 is an odd prime, it divides neither (n1)!(n-1)! nor 2,2, so the fraction is not an integer. The even prime N=2N=2 gives n=1,n=1, which works. The odd primes at most 2525 are 3,3, 5,5, 7,7, 11,11, 13,13, 17,17, 19,19, 23,23, giving 88 failing values of n.n. Hence 248=1624 - 8 = 16 values work. Thus, C is the correct answer.

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Concepts: triangular number · factorial · divisibility · prime

Problem text and solution from the LIVE past-contest archive. See also the AoPS wiki page for community solutions.