2019 AMC 10B Problem 12
Problem 12 of 25IntermediateAlgebraNumber Theory
What is the greatest possible sum of the digits in the base-seven representation of a positive integer less than
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Solution
First, . Any number with leading digit at most has digit sum at most , and attains that sum.
If the leading digit is , then a second digit at most gives digit sum at most . If the first two digits are , comparison with forces the last two digits to contribute at most , giving an even smaller sum. Therefore, the largest digit sum is .
Thus, the answer is C .