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Printsmc
number theory senior
Problem
For each integer , let denote the base- number . The product can be expressed as , where and are positive integers and is as small as possible. What is ?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Solution
Note thatby geometric series. Thus, we're aiming to find the value ofExpanding the product out, this is equivalent to Note that the numerator of the th fraction and the denominator of the th fraction for cancel out to be sinceby the binomial theorem on the the denominator of the aforementioned. Since this forms a telescoping series, our product is now equivalent towhich, after simplification gives giving an answer of
Final answer
E