Clickety Click and all the Sixes
Problem
What is the sum of:
$6 + 66 + 666 + 6666 + \cdots + 666666666\cdots6$
where there are $n$ sixes in the last term?
Getting Started
What can you say about the number $111111$?
Can you write $666666$ as a series?
Student Solutions
This caused a lot of thinking and Alex of Madras College gave the following proof.
First consider $S_n = 1 + 11 + 111 + 1111 + \cdots$ to $n$ terms.
Each individual term can be written and summed as a geometric series, for example $$1111 = 1 + 10 + 100 + 1000 = \frac{10^4-1}{10 - 1}$$ Hence $$S_n= \frac{10^1 - 1}{9} + \frac{10^2 - 1}{9} + \frac{10^3 - 1}{9} + \frac{10^4 - 1}{9} + ... + \frac{10^n - 1}{9}$$ $$= \frac{10 + 10^2 + 10^3 + 10^4 + ... +10^n }{9} - \frac{n}{9}$$ $$= \frac{10^{n+1}- 10}{81} - \frac{n}{9}$$ $$= \frac{10^{n+1}- 10 - 9n}{81}$$ So $6 + 66 + 666 + 6666 \cdots$ to $n$ terms is: $$6( 1 + 11 + 111 + 1111 + ... ) = \frac{2}{3}\Big[ \frac{10(10^n - 1)}{9}- n \Big]$$
Remarkably this result was submitted on the 1st of March by Chong Wenhao Edmund from Singapore, the earliest solution! No doubt the time difference helped.
Teachers' Resources
Why do this problem?
A non-standard problem based on place value and summing geometric series requiring simple manipulation of a numerical expression.Possible approach
A short problem suitable as a lesson starter.Key questions
Can you write the 10 digit number $6666666666$ as a geometric series?Can you sum this series?
Can you do the same for any number that is a 'string of sixes'?