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2017 AMC 10B Problem 14

Problem 14 of 25IntermediateNumber TheoryCounting & Probability

An integer NN is selected at random in the range 1N20201\leq N \leq 2020 . What is the probability that the remainder when N16N^{16} is divided by 55 is 1?1?

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Solution

By Fermat’s Little Theorem, N41(mod5)N^4\equiv1\pmod5 whenever NN is not divisible by 5.5. Therefore, N16(N4)41(mod5).N^{16}\equiv(N^4)^4\equiv1\pmod5. There are 20205=404\frac{2020}{5}=404 multiples of 5,5, so there are 2020404=16162020-404=1616 allowable values of N.N. A multiple of 55 has N160(mod5),N^{16}\equiv0\pmod5, so no other values work. Thus the probability is 16162020=45.\dfrac{1616}{2020}=\dfrac45. Thus, the correct answer is D .

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Concepts: Fermat’s Little Theorem · modular exponentiation · basic probability

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