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2002 AMC 12B Problem 13

Problem 13 of 25IntermediateAlgebraNumber Theory

The sum of 1818 consecutive positive integers is a perfect square. The smallest possible value of this sum is

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Solution

The sum of n,n, n+1,,n+1,\ldots, n+17n+17 is 18n+17182=9(2n+17).18n+\dfrac{17\cdot18}{2}=9(2n+17). Since 99 is a perfect square, 2n+172n+17 must be one too. The smallest positive integer nn making 2n+172n+17 a perfect square is n=4,n=4, giving 2n+17=252n+17=25 and a sum of 925=225.9\cdot25=225. Thus, the correct answer is B.

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Concepts: perfect square · arithmetic sequence

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