CALLING ALL MATH EHTUSIASTS

Rison

Senior member
May 11, 2001
568
0
0
I have noticed that when you take any number that has 2 or more digits in it and subtract it from its reverse, the answer is always divisible by 9. Is there a formula for this obvious pattern? For example XYZ-ZYX=A/9= AN INTEGER. I don't care if this is true when it comes to decimals, only whole numbers.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
25,488
3,981
126
(XYZ)-(ZYX) = (100*X+10*Y+Z)-(100*Z+10*Y+X)
(100*X+10*Y+Z)-(100*Z+10*Y+X) = (100*X+Z)-(100*Z+X)
(100*X+Z)-(100*Z+X)=100(X-Z)+(Z-X)
100(X-Z)+(Z-X)=100(X-Z)-(X-Z)
100(X-Z)-(X-Z)=99(X-Z)

99(X-Z) ?=? 9*integer

Divide both sides by nine:

11(X-Z) ?=? integer

Yes I can choose any value of X and Z that will give an integer result. This isn't a proof that a math professor will accept, but I think it makes sense.
 

Hanky

Senior member
Dec 29, 2000
306
0
0
As far as I'm concerned I don't see a math professor not accepting dullard's little calculation.
Btw, Rison, he got the answer only by starting somewhere and calculating until the result is obvious. That's actually the normal way in math or physics or something like that. It's very often just about following the X's and O's. You don't need to be ingenious every time, even in math...
 

greenfirs

Banned
Oct 6, 2001
298
0
0
Any two digit integer is in the form of xy.

The value of xy is = 10x + y.

Now switch the two around, you get yx.

The value of yx is = 10y + x.

Now assume yx > xy.

Then yx - xy = (10y + x) - (10x + y) = 10y + x -10x -y = 9y - 9x = 9 (y-x)

Since we assumed that yx > xy, then we see that 9 (y-x) is positive and also divisible by 9.

If xy > yx, it's the exact same calculation, but you get 9(x-y) instead.

EDIT: I thought you were asking only for the 2 digit case. Apparently you are asking for the n digit case. The proof for n digits is more complicated but similar.

Assume you have an n digit number x1 x2 ..... xn.

Its value is (x1 . 10^n) + (x2 . 10^(n-1)) + ..... ( xn . 10^0)

And its reverse has value (xn . 10^n) + (xn-1 . 10^(n-1)) + ..... (x1 . 10^0)

When you subtract one from another, you get a long number, where each number has a coefficient and a subtraction of two powers of 10, which is a power of 9.

In order to conclude the proof, you need to prove the lemma that 10^(n-k) - 10^(k) | 9 for n > k which I don't feel like doing right now, but which is relatively easy.

EDIT 2: What the heck, I'll do it anyhow.

We assumed that n > k. Therefore n - k > 0

Now n - k could be > k or it could be = k or < k. Let's try the first possibility first.

10^(n-k) - 10^k =
10^k (10^(n-2k) - 1)

Clearly, any power of 10 minus 1 (the second coefficient) is divisible by 1.

Now let's assume that n-k = k. In this case,

10^(n-k) - 10^k =
10^k - 10^k =
0

Clearly, 0 is divisible by 9.

Finally, let's assume that k > n-k.

10^(n-k) - 10^k =
10^(n-k)( 1 - 10^(2k-n))

As above, the second coefficient is divisible by 9.

QED
 

Rison

Senior member
May 11, 2001
568
0
0
I did this problem about 3 or four years ago and I got the same answer. My main problem was finding a general solution for n number of digits.
 

sirsleepsalot

Senior member
Sep 26, 2001
228
0
0
This is completely out of my league... but cool nonetheless... Hopefully someone will have the answer for n numbers. I'll ask around school.

Good Luck !
 
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