True or False?

True or False?

For any positive integer K K , there exist a natural number N N with K K digits, none of which is even, such that 5 K N 5^K\mid N .

True False

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1 solution

Steven Yuan
Jul 17, 2017

We proceed by induction. For K = 1 , K = 1, we see that N = 5 N = 5 satisfies the given requirements. Now, suppose that the n n -digit number N = a n a n 1 a 2 a 1 N = \overline{a_na_{n - 1} \dots a_2a_1} is divisible by 5 n . 5^n. We will prove that there exists an odd digit a n + 1 a_{n + 1} such that a n + 1 a n a n 1 a 2 a 1 \overline{a_{n + 1}a_na_{n - 1} \dots a_2a_1} is divisible by 5 n + 1 . 5^{n + 1}.

Since 5 n a n a n 1 a 2 a 1 , 5^n|\overline{a_na_{n - 1} \dots a_2a_1}, we can write a n a n 1 a 2 a 1 \overline{a_na_{n - 1} \dots a_2a_1} in the form 5 n k , 5^nk, where k k is some positive integer. Next, we see that

a n + 1 a n a n 1 a 2 a 1 = 1 0 n a n + 1 + a n a n 1 a 2 a 1 = 1 0 n a n + 1 + 5 n k = 5 n ( 2 n a n + 1 + k ) . \begin{aligned} \overline{a_{n + 1}a_na_{n - 1} \dots a_2a_1} &= 10^na_{n + 1} + \overline{a_na_{n - 1} \dots a_2a_1} \\ &= 10^na_{n + 1} + 5^nk \\ &= 5^n(2^na_{n + 1} + k). \end{aligned}

Our problem, then, reduces to finding an odd digit a n + 1 a_{n + 1} such that 2 n a n + 1 + k 0 ( m o d 5 ) . 2^na_{n + 1} + k \equiv 0 \! \pmod{5}. Noting that 2 n ± 1 , ± 2 ( m o d 5 ) , 2^n \equiv \pm 1, \pm 2 \! \pmod{5}, we can reduce this congruence to ± a n + 1 k ( m o d 5 ) \pm a_{n + 1} \equiv -k \! \pmod{5} or ± 2 a n + 1 k ( m o d 5 ) . \pm 2a_{n + 1} \equiv -k \! \pmod{5}. In all four cases, we can see that there exists a non-negative integer i i less than 5 such that a n + 1 i ( m o d 5 ) . a_{n + 1} \equiv i \! \pmod{5}. (For the -1 case, we merely divide by -1. For the ± 2 \pm 2 cases, we manipulate the RHS of the congruence until it is even, then divide both sides by ± 2 , \pm 2, which preserves the modulo since gcd ( 2 , 5 ) = 1. \gcd(2, 5) = 1. )

If i i is odd, we take a n + 1 = i , a_{n + 1} = i, which will make a n + 1 a n a n 1 a 2 a 1 \overline{a_{n + 1}a_na_{n - 1} \dots a_2a_1} divisible by 5 n + 1 . 5^{n + 1}. If i i is even, we take a n + 1 = i + 5 , a_{n + 1} = i + 5, which will achieve the same result.

Our inductive step is complete, so for all positive integers K , K, there exists an N N with K K odd digits such that 5 K N . 5^K|N. \, \, \blacksquare

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