Sum-product number
A sum-product number is an integer that in a given base is equal to the sum of its digits times the product of its digits. Or, to put it algebraically, given an integer n that is l digits long in base b (with dx representing the xth digit), if
then n is a sum-product number in base b. In base 10, the only sum-product numbers are 0, 1, 135, 144 (sequence A038369 in the OEIS). Thus, for example, 144 is a sum-product number because 1 + 4 + 4 = 9, and 1 × 4 × 4 = 16, and 9 × 16 = 144.
1 is a sum-product number in any base, because of the multiplicative identity. 0 is also a sum-product number in any base, but no other integer with significant zeroes in the given base can be a sum-product number. 0 and 1 are also unique in being the only single-digit sum-product numbers in any given base; for any other single-digit number, the sum of the digits times the product of the digits works out to the number itself squared.
Any integer shown to be a sum-product number in a given base must, by definition, also be a Harshad number in that base.
In binary, 0 and 1 are the only sum-product numbers. The following table lists the sum-product numbers in bases up to 40 (using A−Z to represent digits 10 to 35):
Base | Sum-product numbers | Values in base 10 |
---|---|---|
1 | all numbers | all numbers |
2 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
3 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
4 | 0, 1, 12 | 0, 1, 6 |
5 | 0, 1, 341 | 0, 1, 96 |
6 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
7 | 0, 1, 22, 242, 1254, 2343, 116655, 346236, 424644 | 0, 1, 16, 128, 480, 864, 21600, 62208, 73728 |
8 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
9 | 0, 1, 13, 281876 | 0, 1, 12, 172032 |
10 | 0, 1, 135, 144 | 0, 1, 135, 144 |
11 | 0, 1, 253, 419, 2189, 7634, 82974 | 0, 1, 300, 504, 2880, 10080, 120960 |
12 | 0, 1, 128, 173, 353 | 0, 1, 176, 231, 495 |
13 | 0, 1, 435, A644 | 0, 1, 720, 23040 |
14 | 0, 1, 328, 544, 818C | 0, 1, 624, 1040, 22272 |
15 | 0, 1, 2585 | 0, 1, 8000 |
16 | 0, 1, 14 | 0, 1, 20 |
17 | 0, 1, 33, 3B2, 3993, 3E1E, C34D, C8A2 | 0, 1, 54, 1056, 17496, 18816, 59904, 61440 |
18 | 0, 1, 175, 2D2, 4B2 | 0, 1, 455, 884, 1496 |
19 | 0, 1, 873, B1E, 24A8, EAH1, 1A78A | 0, 1, 3024, 4004, 15360, 99960, 201600 |
20 | 0, 1, 1D3, 14C9C | 0, 1, 663, 196992 |
21 | 0, 1, 1CC69 | 0, 1, 311040 |
22 | 0, 1, 24, 366C, 6L1E | 0, 1, 48, 34992, 74088 |
23 | 0, 1, 7D2, J92 | 0, 1, 4004, 10260 |
24 | 0, 1, 33DC | 0, 1, 43524 |
25 | 0, 1, 15, BD75 | 0, 1, 30, 180180 |
26 | 0, 1, 81M, JN44 | 0, 1, 5456, 349600 |
27 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
28 | 0, 1, 15B | 0, 1, 935 |
29 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
30 | 0, 1, 976 | 0, 1, 8316 |
31 | 0, 1, 44, 13H, 1E5 | 0, 1, 128, 1071, 1400 |
32 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
33 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
34 | 0, 1, 25Q8 | 0, 1, 85280 |
35 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
36 | 0, 1, 16, 22O | 0, 1, 42, 2688 |
37 | 0, 1, 15Z7, 1DJ7, 557V | 0, 1, 58800, 69160, 260400 |
38 | 0, 1, 4HK4 | 0, 1, 244800 |
39 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
40 | 0, 1 | 0, 1 |
The finiteness of the list for base 10 was proven by David Wilson. First he proved that a base 10 sum-product number will not have more than 84 digits. Next, he ruled out numbers with significant zeroes. Thereafter he concentrated on digit products of the forms or , which the previous constraints reduce to a set small enough to be testable by brute force in a reasonable period of time.
From Wilson's proof, Raymond Puzio developed the proof that in any positional base system there is only a finite set of sum-product numbers. First he observed that any number n of length l must satisfy . Second, since the largest digit in the base represents b - 1, the maximum possible value of the sum of digits of n is and the maximum possible value of the product of digits is . Multiplying the maximum possible sum by the maximum possible product gives , which is an upper bound of the value of any sum-product number of length l. This suggests that , or dividing both sides, . Puzio then deduced that, because of the growth of exponential function, this inequality can only be true for values of l less than some limit, and thus that there can only be finitely many sum-product numbers n.
In Roman numerals, the only sum-product numbers are 1, 2, 3, and possibly 4 (if written IIII).