View Full Version : Decimal integers with nonzero digits and sum of powers puzzle
K Sengupta
Feb20-09, 10:16 AM
Determine all possible positive decimal integer(s) P = X1X2X3….Xn, where P>=2 with none of the digits in P being zero, that satisfy this equation:
P = X1^X1 + X2^X2 + ……+ Xn^Xn
(For example, P = 234 cannot be a solution since 2^2 + 3^3 + 4^4 is equal to 287, not 234.)
Notes:
(i) X1X2X3….Xn denotes the concatenation of the digits X1, X2, …, Xn and do not represent the product of the digits.
(ii) P cannot admit any leading zero.
davee123
Feb20-09, 11:26 AM
I'm assuming that X1, X2, X3 are all the individual *digits* of P?
DaveE
K Sengupta
Feb20-09, 12:57 PM
I'm assuming that X1, X2, X3 are all the individual *digits* of P?
DaveE
Yes, each of X1,X2, ....,Xn correspond to an individual digit of P.
skeptic2
Feb20-09, 01:50 PM
Can any digit be the same as another digit?
Gokul43201
Feb20-09, 02:39 PM
(ii) P cannot admit any leading zero....or presumably, any other zeros.
jimmysnyder
Feb20-09, 03:24 PM
Here are a few:
1
3435
438579088
Of these only the first meets the unstated condition that all digits be distinct. The third one fails to meet the unstated condition that no digits be 0. I used a brute force method to get this partial solution. I do not know if this list is complete.
davee123
Feb23-09, 10:33 AM
That also assumes that 0^0 = 0-- I thought the more accepted solution was that 0^0 = 1?
Otherwise, I think there's an upper bound of roughly 3.4 billion. Beyond that I think the rate at which the sum of the powers increases is capped (since 9^9 is the highest sum a digit can contribute), and the number itself is increasing more quickly.
DaveE
jimmysnyder
Feb23-09, 12:11 PM
That also assumes that 0^0 = 0-- I thought the more accepted solution was that 0^0 = 1?
Good catch. There was a bug in my code. So I have only found 2 solutions.
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