MathDB
Decreasing primes

Source: USAMO 1997

October 9, 2005
floor functioncalculusintegrationAMCUSA(J)MOUSAMOmodular arithmetic

Problem Statement

Let p1,p2,p3,p_1, p_2, p_3, \ldots be the prime numbers listed in increasing order, and let x0x_0 be a real number between 0 and 1. For positive integer kk, define x_k = \begin{cases} 0 & \mbox{if} \; x_{k-1} = 0, \$$.1in] {\displaystyle \left\{ \frac{p_k}{x_{k-1}} \right\}} & \mbox{if} \; x_{k-1} \neq 0, \end{cases} where {x}\{x\} denotes the fractional part of xx. (The fractional part of xx is given by xxx - \lfloor x \rfloor where x\lfloor x \rfloor is the greatest integer less than or equal to xx.) Find, with proof, all x0x_0 satisfying 0<x0<10 < x_0 < 1 for which the sequence x0,x1,x2,x_0, x_1, x_2, \ldots eventually becomes 0.