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2004 AMC 12B Problem 22

Problem 22 of 25HarderAlgebraNumber Theory

The square 50bcdefgh2\begin{array}{|c|c|c|} \hline 50 & b & c \\ \hline d & e & f \\ \hline g & h & 2 \\ \hline \end{array} is a multiplicative magic square. That is, the product of the numbers in each row, column, and diagonal is the same. If all the entries are positive integers, what is the sum of the possible values of g?g?

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Solution

From the equal row, column, and diagonal products, every entry can be written in terms of b:b: h=100b,h = \dfrac{100}{b}, g=100c,g = \dfrac{100}{c}, f=100d.f = \dfrac{100}{d}. Comparing rows and columns gives c=20bc = \dfrac{20}{b} and d=4b,d = \dfrac{4}{b}, hence g=5bg = 5b and e=10.e = 10. All entries are positive integers exactly when b=1,2,b = 1, 2, or 4,4, giving g=5,10,20.g = 5, 10, 20. Their sum is 35.35. Thus, the correct answer is C.

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Concepts: magic square · system of equations · divisibility

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