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2015 AMC 10B Problem 23

Problem 23 of 25HarderNumber TheoryCounting & Probability

Let nn be a positive integer greater than 44 such that the decimal representation of n!n! ends in kk zeros and the decimal representation of (2n)!(2n)! ends in 3k3k zeros. Let ss denote the sum of the four least possible values of n.n. What is the sum of the digits of s?s?

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Solution

The number of trailing zeros is the number of factors of 55. For 5n95\le n\le9, n!n! has k=1k=1 zero. We need (2n)!(2n)! to have 33 zeros, which happens when 152n1915\le2n\le19. Thus n=8,9n=8,9. For 10n1410\le n\le14, n!n! has k=2k=2 zeros. We need (2n)!(2n)! to have 66 zeros, which happens when 252n2925\le2n\le29. Thus n=13,14n=13,14. These are the four least possible values, so s=8+9+13+14=44s=8+9+13+14=44. The sum of the digits of ss is 88. Thus, the correct answer is B.

More practice

Concepts: trailing zeros · Legendre’s Formula · factorial

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