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Algebra Difficulty 4.8 AIME Prove it Croatia

Each digit of a positive integer nn (except the first one) is larger than the digit next left to it. Determine the sum of all digits of the number 9n9n. (Russia 1999)

Solution

Let n=am1am2a1a0n = \overline{a_{m-1}a_{m-2}\dots a_1a_0}. We know that a0>a1>>am1a_0 > a_1 > \dots > a_{m-1}.

Since 9n=10nn9n = 10n - n, from
a m-1 a m-2 a m-3 a 1 a 0 0 - a m-1 a m-2 a 2 a 1 a 0 b m b m-1 b m-2 b 2 b 1 b 0\text{a m-1 a m-2 a m-3 a 1 a 0 0 - a m-1 a m-2 a 2 a 1 a 0 b m b m-1 b m-2 b 2 b 1 b 0}
we conclude b0=10a0b_0 = 10 - a_0, b1=a0(a1+1)b_1 = a_0 - (a_1 + 1), b2=a1a2b_2 = a_1 - a_2, b3=a2a3b_3 = a_2 - a_3, ..., bm1=am2am1b_{m-1} = a_{m-2} - a_{m-1}, bm=am1b_m = a_{m-1}. Those are the digits of 9n9n, and their sum is am1+(am2am1)++(a1a2)+(a0a11)+(10a0)=9a_{m-1} + (a_{m-2} - a_{m-1}) + \dots + (a_1 - a_2) + (a_0 - a_1 - 1) + (10 - a_0) = 9.

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