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jmc

number theory intermediate

Problem

There exist several positive integers such that is a terminating decimal. What is the second smallest such integer?
Solution
We can factor . Therefore, we want both and to be divisible by 2 and 5. They cannot both be even, so we have that either or is odd, so either or is a power of 5. We start by considering the power . If , we have the fraction , which terminates. If , we get , but then we have an invalid fraction. We now consider the power . If , we have the fraction , which repeats due to the factor of 3 in the denominator. If , then , so the fraction is . The second smallest integer such that is a terminating decimal is .
Final answer
4