MathDB
Professor Gamble

Source:

March 23, 2008
logarithmsprobability

Problem Statement

Professor Gamble buys a lottery ticket, which requires that he pick six different integers from 1 1 through 46 46, inclusive. He chooses his numbers so that the sum of the base-ten logarithms of his six numbers is an integer. It so happens that the integers on the winning ticket have the same property— the sum of the base-ten logarithms is an integer. What is the probability that Professor Gamble holds the winning ticket?
<spanclass=latexbold>(A)</span> 1/5<spanclass=latexbold>(B)</span> 1/4<spanclass=latexbold>(C)</span> 1/3<spanclass=latexbold>(D)</span> 1/2<spanclass=latexbold>(E)</span> 1 <span class='latex-bold'>(A)</span>\ 1/5 \qquad <span class='latex-bold'>(B)</span>\ 1/4 \qquad <span class='latex-bold'>(C)</span>\ 1/3 \qquad <span class='latex-bold'>(D)</span>\ 1/2 \qquad <span class='latex-bold'>(E)</span>\ 1