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jmc

number theory senior

Problem

Let be the set of all positive integers that have four digits in base . What is the sum of all of the elements in , when expressed in base ?
Solution
Any number in has a leftmost (eights) digit that is equal to . The remaining three digits can either be or , so there are a total of elements in . Notice that element in can be paired with another element , which is the base number whose right-most three digits are the opposite of those of . Thus, the sum of the elements in is equal to .
Final answer
1011100