Art of Problem Solving
AoPS Online
Math texts, online classes, and more
for students in grades 5-12.
Visit AoPS Online ‚
Books for Grades 5-12 Online Courses
Beast Academy
Engaging math books and online learning
for students ages 6-13.
Visit Beast Academy ‚
Books for Ages 6-13 Beast Academy Online
AoPS Academy
Small live classes for advanced math
and language arts learners in grades 2-12.
Visit AoPS Academy ‚
Find a Physical Campus Visit the Virtual Campus

Difference between revisions of "2009 AIME I Problems/Problem 6"

m (→‎Solution)
(→‎Solution)
Line 12: Line 12:
 
For <math>{\lfloor x\rfloor}=1</math>, <math>N</math> can be anything between <math>1^1</math> to <math>2^1</math> excluding <math>2^1</math>
 
For <math>{\lfloor x\rfloor}=1</math>, <math>N</math> can be anything between <math>1^1</math> to <math>2^1</math> excluding <math>2^1</math>
  
−
This gives us <math>2^1-1^1=1</math> <math>N</math>'s
+
Theerefore, <math>N=1</math>. However, we got N=1 in case 1 so it got counted twice.
  
 
For <math>{\lfloor x\rfloor}=2</math>, <math>N</math> can be anything between <math>2^2</math> to <math>3^2</math> excluding <math>3^2</math>
 
For <math>{\lfloor x\rfloor}=2</math>, <math>N</math> can be anything between <math>2^2</math> to <math>3^2</math> excluding <math>3^2</math>

Revision as of 20:35, 16 February 2015

Problem

How many positive integers $N$ less than $1000$ are there such that the equation $x^{\lfloor x\rfloor} = N$ has a solution for $x$? (The notation $\lfloor x\rfloor$ denotes the greatest integer that is less than or equal to $x$.)

Solution

First, $x$ must be less than $5$, since otherwise $x^{\lfloor x\rfloor}$ would be at least $3125$ which is greater than $1000$.

Because ${\lfloor x\rfloor}$ must be an integer, we can do some simple case work:

For ${\lfloor x\rfloor}=0$, $N=1$ no matter what $x$ is

For ${\lfloor x\rfloor}=1$, $N$ can be anything between $1^1$ to $2^1$ excluding $2^1$

Theerefore, $N=1$. However, we got N=1 in case 1 so it got counted twice.

For ${\lfloor x\rfloor}=2$, $N$ can be anything between $2^2$ to $3^2$ excluding $3^2$

This gives us $3^2-2^2=5$ $N$'s

For ${\lfloor x\rfloor}=3$, $N$ can be anything between $3^3$ to $4^3$ excluding $4^3$

This gives us $4^3-3^3=37$ $N$'s

For ${\lfloor x\rfloor}=4$, $N$ can be anything between $4^4$ to $5^4$ excluding $5^4$

This gives us $5^4-4^4=369$ $N$'s

Since $x$ must be less than $5$, we can stop here and the answer is $1+5+37+369= \boxed {412}$ possible values for $N$.

See also

2009 AIME I (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by
Problem 5 		Followed by
Problem 7
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15
All AIME Problems and Solutions

The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. AMC logo.png

Retrieved from "https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=2009_AIME_I_Problems/Problem_6&oldid=67875"