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National Olympiad of Argentina

Argentina number theory

Problem

Is there a number which is the sum of positive integers that have the same digit sum, and also the sum of positive integers that have the same digit sum? If the answer is yes, find the least such number. If not, explain why.
Solution
Such numbers exist. The least one is . Let be the sum of positive integers with digit sum , and let , . Then as each summand is congruent to modulo . Similarly if is the sum of numbers with digit sum congruent to modulo , , then . So . Letting run through yields the admissible pairs of remainders: , , , , , , , , .

Note that for every such pair because the least number with digit sum congruent to or modulo is or respectively. If , the last observation gives . For each remaining pair one of the numbers and is greater than . It follows that the least in question, if it exists, is at least . On the other hand is possible. Indeed is equal to the sum of numbers equal to . Also is equal to the sum of numbers with digit sum : summands and summands (). In all there are summands with digit sum , as needed.
Final answer
11725

Techniques

Modular ArithmeticLinear and quadratic inequalities