Help with nth partial sum?

m84uily

Given some natural number n find the nth partial sum for:

[tex]\displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor log(n) \rfloor} \lfloor \frac{n}{10^k} \rfloor[/tex]

I find this question really difficult! If anyone could help, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

micromass

Perhaps try a few examples of n to see what it actually is that you're doing??

dodo

I take that 'log' here means the base-10 logarithm. Is that so?

m84uily

It is indeed the base 10 logarithm.

For n = 1: [tex]\displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{0} \lfloor \frac{1}{10^k} \rfloor = \lfloor 1/1 \rfloor = 1[/tex]

For n = 21: [tex]\displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{1} \lfloor \frac{21}{10^k} \rfloor = \lfloor 21/1 \rfloor + \lfloor 21/10 \rfloor= 21 + 2 = 23[/tex]

micromass

What about a general number

[tex]n=a_1a_2...a_k[/tex]

?? Can you find it for that??

m84uily

[tex]n=a_1a_2...a_k[/tex]

I think it would be:

[tex]a_1a_2...a_k + a_1a_2...a_{k-1} + ... + a_1a_2 + a_1[/tex]

m84uily

Something else that could possibly be used is:

[tex]\displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor log(n) \rfloor} \lfloor \frac{n}{10^k} \rfloor = \displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor log(n) \rfloor} \frac{n}{10^k} - \displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor log(n) \rfloor} \frac{n}{10^k} mod 1 [/tex]

Where mod represents the remainder operator. Here the first sum is quite easy to figure out, however the summation involving mod is equally as difficult as the original, to me.