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Maximizing products (Posted on 2024-03-26) Difficulty: 3 of 5
What set of positive integers with sum 2024 has highest possible product?
Same question for 2025.
What is the highest product in this century?

Inspired by: Putnam 1979

No Solution Yet Submitted by Ady TZIDON    
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Some Thoughts Guesses | Comment 1 of 5
I am just guessing here, but ...

If we were dealing with real numbers, I believe that when breaking a number 'x' into equal pieces which sum to x, and which have a maximal product, you should divide x by e to get the number of pieces.  Each piece will be e.  
I suspect that with integers, the answer will be similar.
2024/e is between 774 and 775, so I suspect the maximal product for the integer 2024 will be with 774 or 775 pieces, each being either 2 or 3.
For example 208 2s and 536 3s.  Or 211 2s and 534 3s.
So the product could be something like 2^211 * 3^534.

Also, the larger x is, the larger the final result.
So I expect the largest product of the century will be with 2099, for example    2^217 * 3^555

These are just guesses.

  Posted by Larry on 2024-03-26 11:39:16
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