Does 9 appear as the leftmost digit in the decimal representation of any power of 2?

Does 7 appear as the leftmost digit in the decimal representation of any power of 37?

Is it possible to find a power of any counting number that has a given digit as its leftmost digit?

Also, is it possible to find a power of any counting number that begins with a given series of digits (e.g., is there a power of 24 that begins with 937)?

Prove that this is possible, or give a counter-example.

Bonus: What percentage of the powers of 2 have 1 as their leftmost digit?

Note: In finding the powers of "any counting number," exclude powers of ten, whose leftmost digit is always 1.

(In reply to re: Solution by Penny)

The title "West Side" is a reference to the fact that the West usually appears to the left on a map, and the questions and solution refer to the leftmost digit or digits in various powers of numbers.

Posted by Charlie on 2004-02-15 15:18:08