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2016 AMC 12B Problem 16

Problem 16 of 25IntermediateAlgebraNumber Theory

In how many ways can 345345 be written as the sum of an increasing sequence of two or more consecutive positive integers?

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Solution

A sum of consecutive integers equals the count times the median. For an odd number of terms, the median is an integer divisor of 345,345, giving runs of 33 (median 115115), 55 (median 6969), 1515 (median 2323), and 2323 (median 1515) terms. For an even number of terms the median is a half-integer. The positive possibilities have lengths 2,6,10,2,6,10, with respective medians 172.5,57.5,34.5.172.5,57.5,34.5. Longer divisor-based runs would force a nonpositive first term. This gives 4+3=74+3=7 ways. Thus, the correct answer is E.

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Concepts: arithmetic sequence · factor counting · casework

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