Number theoryDifficulty 5.4AIME, harderProve itBrazil
We call a number pal if it doesn't have a zero digit and the sum of the squares of the digits is a perfect square. For example, 122 and 34 are pal but 304 and 12 are not pal. Prove that there exists a pal number with n digits, n>1.
Solution
Consider the number n times55…5. The sum of the squares of its digits is n⋅52=25n. We can exchange any two fives by one three and one four, so the sum of the squares decreases by 52, until we run out of fives. So we can get any sum from 25⋅⌊n/2⌋ and 25⋅n. So it suffices to show that there is an integer k such that 2n≤k2≤n. Choose k such that k2≤n<(k+1)2. Suppose k2<2n. Then n>2k2, and (k+1)2>n>2k2⟹(k+1)2≥2k2+2⟺k2−2k+1≤0⟺(k−1)2≤0, which is false except for k=1, or 2<n<4, that is, n=3. But the statement of the problem itself gives an example with n digits: 122.
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Source: MathNet,
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