Problem

Source: Mathematics Regional Olympiad of Mexico West 2021 P2

Tags: number theory, Perfect Square



Prove that in every $16$-digit number there is a chain of one or more consecutive digits such that the product of those digits is a perfect square. For example, if the original number is $7862328578632785$ we can take the digits $6$, $2$ and $3$ whose product is $6^2$ (note that these appear consecutively in the number).