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Austria 2013 number theory
Problem
For which number from through is the probability that a randomly chosen divisor will not be greater than the largest? (Note: The probability is equal to the number of divisors not greater than divided by the total number of divisors.)
Solution
We first note that . For any number , the number of divisors less than is certainly equal to the number of divisors greater than , since implies and implies (and vice versa).
For all numbers from through , we have . For all of these numbers, the number of divisors less than is therefore equal to the number of divisors greater than . It follows that the probability of a random number being not greater than is equal to for all .
For , is also a divisor, but since in this case, the probability for is greater than , and is therefore the number with the required property.
For all numbers from through , we have . For all of these numbers, the number of divisors less than is therefore equal to the number of divisors greater than . It follows that the probability of a random number being not greater than is equal to for all .
For , is also a divisor, but since in this case, the probability for is greater than , and is therefore the number with the required property.
Final answer
2025
Techniques
Divisibility / FactorizationRecursion, bijection