Floor Ceiling Manipulation

MathDash
Last updated 2025-09-05

1 Pizza Slices and the Idea of Rounding Down

Example 1.1

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Ben has a huge pizza cut into 12 equally sized slices. He wants to pack identical lunch

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boxes, each box getting at most 5 slices. How many full lunch boxes can Ben make?

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Solution

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Let’s think it through like Ben would:

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• Ben counts his slices: 12.

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• He groups them by fives: • First box: 5 slices (7 left) • Second box: 5 slices (2 left)

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• With only 2 slices left over, he can’t start a third full box.

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So Ben can make 2 full lunch boxes.

What pattern did we just use?

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We essentially performed “how many times does 5 fit into 12?” but we threw away any
leftover. In everyday language we said: 12 divided by 5 is 2 point something, but if we only

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care about complete boxes, the answer is just 2.

That “just 2” is exactly what mathematicians mean by “rounding down the quotient.”

Definition 1.2 (Floor Function)

For any real number 𝑥 (think of decimals like 3.75 or −2.1), the floor of 𝑥 , written
⌊𝑥⌋ , is the greatest whole number 𝑘 that is still ≤ 𝑥 . In symbols: 𝑘 ≤ 𝑥 < 𝑘 + 1.

We can similarly define the ceiling function.

Definition 1.3 (Ceiling Function)

For any real number 𝑥 (think of decimals like 3.75 or −2.1), the ceiling of 𝑥 , written
⌈𝑥⌉ , is the smallest whole number 𝑘 that is still ≥ 𝑥 . In symbols: 𝑘 − 1 < 𝑥 ≤ 𝑘 .

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2 From Pictures to Symbols: Seeing the Floor as a

Staircase
Most of us see math better than we recite it. Let’s draw a graph to watch ⌊𝑥⌋ in action.

Example 2.1
Sketch the graph of 𝑦 = ⌊𝑥⌋ for −1 ≤ 𝑥 < 4.

Solution
We’ll walk through, one “block” at a time.

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1. −1 ≤ 𝑥 < 0: The greatest integer ≤ 𝑥 is −1. So on this interval, 𝑦 = −1 (a flat
segment).

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2. 0 ≤ 𝑥 < 1: Here 𝑦 = 0.

3. 1 ≤ 𝑥 < 2: Here 𝑦 = 1.

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4. 2 ≤ 𝑥 < 3: Here 𝑦 = 2.

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5. 3 ≤ 𝑥 < 4: Here 𝑦 = 3.

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Put those horizontal pieces together and you get a staircase! Each piece is closed (solid)

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on its left edge and open (hollow) on its right edge so we never assign two 𝑦 -values to

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the same 𝑥 .

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𝑦

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𝑥

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Why the staircase matters
Each “step” is that interval where the floor stays constant. In contests or homework,
we often exploit that constant behavior: if a complicated floor shows up, we break the
problem into intervals where the floor is just a number.

Keep that staircase picture in your mental toolbox—it will rescue you later.

Flooring Negative Numbers: The Sneaky Half of the Staircase

Positive numbers feel cozy, but negatives sometimes surprise us. Let’s catch that surprise
with an example.
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Example 2.2
Compute ⌊−2.3⌋ and ⌊−2⌋ .

Solution
Think “greatest integer not exceeding 𝑥 ”—another way to say “move left on the number
line until you land on a whole number.”

• −2.3 is just to the left of −2. The next whole number leftward is −3. So ⌊−2.3⌋ = −3.

• −2 itself is already an integer. “Round down” means stay put, so ⌊−2⌋ = −2.

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The usual “off-by-one” trap

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Many learners guess ⌊−2.3⌋ = −2 because they think “truncate the decimal part.” That

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shortcut fails for negatives. Always remember: going down means moving towards more
negative numbers.

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Theme 2.3 (Negative-number tip)

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When 𝑥 is negative, ⌊𝑥⌋ is either 𝑥 itself (if 𝑥 is already an integer) or the integer

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one unit smaller (more negative) than the integer part you see.

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3 Turning a Floor into an Inequality: Unlocking Hidden

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Ranges
Floors hide inside problems until we pop them open. Let’s practice popping.

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Example 3.1
Find all real 𝑡 satisfying ⌊𝑡⌋ = 3.

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Solution
Ask: “Which 𝑡 produce 3 when rounded down?” That’s exactly the interval where 3 is the
greatest integer still ≤ 𝑡 .

3 ≤ 𝑡 < 4.

So the answer is the entire interval [ 3, 4) .

General insight
We turned ⌊𝑡⌋ = 𝑚 into 𝑚 ≤ 𝑡 < 𝑚 + 1. That works for any integer 𝑚.

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MathDash (Last updated 2025-09-05) Floor Ceiling Manipulation

Theme 3.2 (Peeling off the Brackets)

To solve ⌊𝑔 (𝑥)⌋ = 𝑚, replace the floor by the double inequality

𝑚 ≤ 𝑔 (𝑥) < 𝑚 + 1.

This converts a “mysterious” floor equation into a plain interval problem.

4 Counting Integers Inside a Floor-Defined Interval

Sometimes we care not about all 𝑥 but specifically about integers inside some interval
that popped out of a floor inequality.

Example 4.1

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How many integers 𝑛 satisfy ⌊𝑛/3⌋ = 4?

Solution

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Step 1: Convert to an interval using the peeling theme.

a s e 4≤
𝑛
<5 =⇒ 12 ≤ 𝑛 < 15.

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3

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Step 2: List integers in [ 12, 15) :

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12, 13, 14.

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That’s 3 integers.

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Why this feels so nice

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Floors split the number line into equally sized blocks. By translating floors into intervals,

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counting turns into an easy “how many integers fit?” puzzle.

Blocks Everywhere: Seeing Where the Floor is Constant

Let’s discover a bigger pattern through another example.

Example 4.2
For each integer 𝑘 , how many integers 𝑛 satisfy ⌊𝑛/5⌋ = 𝑘 ?

Solution
Use the same two-step attack:

𝑛
𝑘≤ < 𝑘+1 =⇒ 5𝑘 ≤ 𝑛 < 5𝑘 + 5 .
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MathDash (Last updated 2025-09-05) Floor Ceiling Manipulation

Integers from 5𝑘 up to 5𝑘 + 4 work. That’s exactly 5 values. Notice: it doesn’t matter what
𝑘 is—positive, negative, anything—the block size is always 5.

Key takeaway
Whenever the expression inside the floor is 𝑛/𝑑 (with 𝑑 a positive integer), each step
(block) contains exactly 𝑑 integers.

Theme 4.3 (Constant-on-Blocks)

If the floor is ⌊𝑛/𝑑⌋ , then for each integer 𝑘 ,

⌊𝑛/𝑑⌋ = 𝑘

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for exactly 𝑑 consecutive integers 𝑛.

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This idea helps you tackle summations and probability questions later on, but keep it in

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your back pocket for now.

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5 The Key Trick: Fractional Part Left Over

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When you round down, you remove the “fractional tail.” What if we actually want that
tail?

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Example 5.1

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Write 7.68 as the sum of an integer and its fractional part.

Solution

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Integer part is ⌊ 7.68⌋ = 7. The leftover is 7.68 − 7 = 0.68. So

t 7.68 = 7 + 0.68.

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Formalizing the leftovers

Definition 5.2 (Fractional Part)

For any real 𝑥 , define
{𝑥} = 𝑥 − ⌊𝑥⌋.
This “fractional part” always lies in [ 0, 1) .

The fractional part pairs beautifully with floors in many tricks: 𝑥 = ⌊𝑥⌋ + {𝑥} (obvious
but powerful).

Example 5.3

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 MathDash (Last updated 2025-09-05) Floor Ceiling Manipulation

Find all real numbers 𝑥 satisfying

   
𝑥 + 2𝑥 = 7 .

Solution
The key is to write
𝑥 = 𝑛+ 𝑓,
where
𝑛 = ⌊𝑥⌋ ∈ Z, 𝑓 = 𝑥 − 𝑛 ∈ [0, 1).
Then
⌊𝑥⌋ = 𝑛, ⌊2𝑥⌋ = ⌊2𝑛 + 2 𝑓 ⌋ = 2𝑛 + ⌊ 2 𝑓 ⌋.

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Since 𝑓 ∈ [ 0, 1) , we have (

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0, 0 ≤ 𝑓 < 21 ,

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⌊2 𝑓 ⌋ = 1
1, ≤ 𝑓 < 1.

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2

Substitute into the equation:

D n 𝑛 + 2𝑛 + ⌊ 2 𝑓 ⌋ = 7 3𝑛 + ⌊ 2 𝑓 ⌋ = 7 .


=⇒

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We split into two cases for ⌊ 2 𝑓 ⌋ :

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⌊2 𝑓 ⌋ = 0 Then 3𝑛 = 7. No integer 𝑛 satisfies this, so no solutions here.

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⌊2 𝑓 ⌋ = 1 Then 3𝑛 + 1 = 7, so 3𝑛 = 6 and 𝑛 = 2. The condition ⌊2 𝑓 ⌋ = 1 means 2 𝑓 ∈ [1, 2) , i.e.

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𝑓 ∈ [0.5, 1) . Hence

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𝑥 = 𝑛+ 𝑓 = 2+ 𝑓, 𝑓 ∈ [0.5, 1) =⇒ 𝑥 ∈ [2.5, 3).

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One checks directly that every 𝑥 ∈ [ 2.5, 3) indeed satisfies ⌊𝑥⌋ + ⌊ 2𝑥⌋ = 7. Therefore the
full solution set is
𝑥 ∈ [2.5, 3).

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Example 5.4 (Floor–Product via Integer & Fractional Parts)
Find all real numbers 𝑥 satisfying
 
𝑥 𝑥 = 243.

Solution
Write
𝑥 = 𝑛+ 𝑓,
where
𝑛 = ⌊𝑥⌋ ∈ Z, 𝑓 = 𝑥 − 𝑛 ∈ [0, 1).
Then
⌊𝑥⌋ = 𝑛, 𝑥 ⌊𝑥⌋ = (𝑛 + 𝑓 ) 𝑛 = 𝑛2 + 𝑛 𝑓 ,

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MathDash (Last updated 2025-09-05) Floor Ceiling Manipulation

so the equation becomes

243 − 𝑛2
𝑛2 + 𝑛 𝑓 = 243 =⇒ 𝑓 = .
𝑛
Since 0 ≤ 𝑓 < 1, we require
243 − 𝑛2
0 ≤ < 1.
𝑛
We split into two cases depending on the sign of 𝑛.

**Case 1: 𝑛 > 0.** Then 0 ≤ ( 243 −𝑛2 )/𝑛 implies 243 −𝑛2 ≥ 0, so 𝑛2 ≤ 243 and 1 ≤ 𝑛 ≤ 15.
Meanwhile ( 243 − 𝑛2 )/𝑛 < 1 gives

243 − 𝑛2 < 𝑛 𝑛2 + 𝑛 − 243 > 0,

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=⇒

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whose positive integer solutions satisfy 𝑛 ≥ 16. No integer 𝑛 lies in both 1 ≤ 𝑛 ≤ 15 and

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𝑛 ≥ 16. Hence **no solutions** with 𝑛 > 0.
—

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**Case 2: 𝑛 < 0.** Now 0 ≤ ( 243 − 𝑛2 )/𝑛 reverses to 243 − 𝑛2 ≤ 0, so 𝑛2 ≥ 243 and

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|𝑛| ≥ 16, i.e. 𝑛 ≤ −16. Also ( 243 − 𝑛2 )/𝑛 < 1 becomes

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243 − 𝑛2 > 𝑛 𝑛2 + 𝑛 < 243.

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=⇒

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The inequality 𝑛2 + 𝑛 < 243 holds for −16.088 < 𝑛 < 15.088. Combining with 𝑛 ≤ −16

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forces

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𝑛 = −16.

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For 𝑛 = −16,

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243 − (−16) 2 243 − 256 −13 13
𝑓 = = = = ,
−16 −16 −16 16
which indeed lies in [ 0, 1) . Therefore
13 243

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𝑥 = 𝑛 + 𝑓 = −16 + =− .

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16 16

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—

**Answer.**
243
𝑥=− .
16

6 Quick Mental Bounds with Monotonicity

Sometimes we don’t need exact answers—just easy bounds.

Example 6.1
99
∑︁ 1
Give a simple lower and upper bound for using the idea that the floor
𝑘=0
⌊𝑘/10⌋ + 1
stays constant on blocks of length 10.

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MathDash (Last updated 2025-09-05) Floor Ceiling Manipulation

Solution
Group terms by 𝑘 in [ 10𝑚, 10𝑚 + 9] so ⌊𝑘/10⌋ = 𝑚.

9 10 𝑚+9 9
∑︁ ∑︁ 1
∑︁ 10
= .
𝑚 + 1 𝑚 + 1
𝑚=0 𝑘=10𝑚 𝑚=0

You can now estimate quickly:

 
10 1+ 12 + 13 +· · ·+ 10
1
is between 10 ( 1+1+1+1+· · · ) = 100 and 10 ( 1+1/2+· · ·+1/10) ≈ 29.

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So the whole sum lies in ( 29, 100) . (With more careful work you can squeeze it tighter,

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but notice how floors let us rewrite and bound things fast.)

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7 Putting It All Together: A Mini-Checklist

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Before we close this introductory handout, let’s build a quick mental checklist you can

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carry into problem sessions:

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1. Draw or imagine the staircase. Where are the flat pieces? Do not fear sketching!

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2. Translate floors into inequalities. ⌊𝑔 (𝑥)⌋ = 𝑚 ⇐⇒ 𝑚 ≤ 𝑔 (𝑥) < 𝑚 + 1.

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3. Count blocks. How many 𝑥 (integers or reals) sit in each block? Remember constant-

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on-blocks themes.

4. Watch the sign for negatives. Going “down” means moving to more negative
integers.

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5. Connect with remainders. 𝑥 − 𝑑 ⌊𝑥/𝑑⌋ is your remainder friend.

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6. Ceilings mirror floors. Swap ≤ and < appropriately.

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7. Decompose with fractional parts. 𝑥 = ⌊𝑥⌋ + {𝑥} splits problems cleanly.

8. Use monotonicity for bounds. Floors are constant on intervals—great for bound-
ing sums or integrals.

8 Advanced Examples

Example 8.1
How many positive integers 𝑛 satisfy ⌊ log10 𝑛⌋ = 2?

Solution
Turn to inequalities:
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MathDash (Last updated 2025-09-05) Floor Ceiling Manipulation

2 ≤ log10 𝑛 < 3 =⇒ 102 ≤ 𝑛 < 103 =⇒ 100 ≤ 𝑛 < 1000.

So 𝑛 can be 100, 101, . . . , 999—that’s 900 numbers.

Notice: a floor of a logarithm groups numbers by the number of digits. Each block dou-
bles, triples, or in base-10 multiplies by 10 in size.

Example 8.2
Compute the sum
50 √
∑︁  
𝑆= 𝑘 .
𝑘=1

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Solution
√ √
We group the values of ⌈ 𝑘⌉ according to the integer part of 𝑘 . Observe that for each

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positive integer 𝑚, √

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⌈ 𝑘⌉ = 𝑚 ⇐⇒ (𝑚 − 1) 2 < 𝑘 ≤ 𝑚2 .

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Thus for 𝑚 = 1, 2, . . ., the value 𝑚 occurs exactly on the integers

a s e 𝑘 = (𝑚 − 1) 2 + 1, (𝑚 − 1) 2 + 2, . . . , 𝑚2 ,

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of which there are
𝑚2 − (𝑚 − 1) 2 = 2𝑚 − 1

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terms. We carry this out until 𝑚2 first exceeds 50.

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Step 1. Find the largest 𝑚 with 𝑚2 ≤ 50. Since 72 = 49 and 82 = 64 > 50, we have 𝑚 = 7.
Thus √
𝑘 = 1, . . . , 49 =⇒ ⌈ 𝑘⌉ = 1, 2, . . . , 7

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in blocks of sizes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 respectively.
√ √

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Step 2. Account for the “leftover” term 𝑘 = 50. Here 50 ≈ 7.07, so ⌈ 50⌉ = 8.

Hence
7
∑︁
𝑆 = 𝑚 ( 2𝑚 − 1) + 8.
𝑚=1
We compute

7 7 7
∑︁ ∑︁
2
∑︁ 7 · 8 · 15 7·8
𝑚( 2𝑚− 1) = 2 𝑚 − 𝑚 = 2· − = 2 · 140 − 28 = 280 − 28 = 252.
6 2
𝑚=1 𝑚=1 𝑚=1

Adding the final term,

𝑆 = 252 + 8 = 260.
260 .

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