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    Number Theory - Concepts and Problems

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    This document discusses two examples that use induction to prove divisibility properties. The first example proves that if n is a power of 3, then n divides 2^n + 1. The second example finds the largest integer k such that 2^k divides the product (n + 1)(n + 2)...(n + n). Both examples use induction to prove the properties hold for all positive integers.

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    Number Theory - Concepts and Problems

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    364 views3 pages
    This document discusses two examples that use induction to prove divisibility properties. The first example proves that if n is a power of 3, then n divides 2^n + 1. The second example finds the largest integer k such that 2^k divides the product (n + 1)(n + 2)...(n + n). Both examples use induction to prove the properties hold for all positive integers.

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    Number theory Problems

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    Number Theory_ Concepts and Problems

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    This document discusses two examples that use induction to prove divisibility properties. The first example proves that if n is a power of 3, then n divides 2^n + 1. The second example finds the largest integer k such that 2^k divides the product (n + 1)(n + 2)...(n + n). Both examples use induction to prove the properties hold for all positive integers.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    364 views3 pages

    Number Theory - Concepts and Problems

    Uploaded by

    jilk
    This document discusses two examples that use induction to prove divisibility properties. The first example proves that if n is a power of 3, then n divides 2^n + 1. The second example finds the largest integer k such that 2^k divides the product (n + 1)(n + 2)...(n + n). Both examples use induction to prove the properties hold for all positive integers.

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    of 3

    2.1.

    Basic properties 21

    Example 2.42. '(Romania TST 2012) Let a1, ..., an be positive integers and let
    a > 1 be a multiple of mag . . . an. Prove that a"+1 + a — 1 is not divisible by
    (a+a1 — 1)(a+a2— 1)...(a+an—1).
    Proof. Suppose that

    an“ + a — 1 = k(a + a1 — l)...(a + an — 1) (1)


    for some positive integer k, and write a = mal...a.n for some positive integer
    m. Note that a1, ...,an > 1, for if a1 = 1 (for example) then the right-hand
    side of relation (1) is divisible by a, but the left-hand side is not.
    Relation (1) coupled with the congruences a”+1 E 1 (mod a — 1) and
    a+a¢—1Eai(moda—l)for1§ignyield

    1 E kal...an (mod (1 — 1), hence m E [w E k (mod (1 — 1).

    Note that m < a = mal...a,n and, since az- > 1 for 1 S i g n

    a”+1 +a — 1 Z k(a + 1)",


    which easily implies that k < (1 (since one easily checks that a(a + 1)” >
    a”+1 + a — 1). Thus k, m are positive integers less than or equal to a — 1 and
    k: E m (moda—l), which implies k =m. But m | a and k | an+1+a—1,
    hence m | a"+1 + a — 1, which implies that m | 1 and finally k = m = 1. It
    follows that

    a"+1 < a"+1 + a — 1 = (a+ a1 — 1)...(a+ an — 1),


    which can be rewritten as
    a+a1—1 a+a~n—1
    a1-...-a.n=a< .
    a a
    This is however impossible, since for 1 S i S n we have
    a+ai—1
    < 0.37,
    a
    this inequality being equivalent to (a — 1)(a,~ — 1) > 0.
    The problem is solved. III
    22 Chapter 2. Divisibilz'ty

    Example 2.43. (Schinzel) Prove that there exists a constant c > 0 with the
    following property: if a positive integer a is even and not a multiple of 10,
    then the sum of the digits of ak is greater than clog k for all k: 2 2.

    Proof. Define a sequence (b70120 by b0 = 0 and bn+1 = 1 + [11,, log2(10)]. This


    sequence is increasing and bn+1 g (1 + log2(10))bn for n 2 1, thus bn S c”
    for all n 2 1, where c = 1 + log2(10). Suppose now that k 2 bn and write
    a,“ = on + 10c1 + in base 10. For each 2 S j S n we have that 21’1" divides ak
    and since 2b1' also divides cbj10b7’ + cbj_,_110bj'"1 + ..., it follows that 2bj divides
    co + 10c1 + + Obj—1 10bi—1. Note that this last number is nonzero since co aé 0
    by assumption. We deduce that 2bJ' 3 Co + 10c1 + + Obj—1 1015—1. Assuming
    that cbj_1, ..., cbj_1 are all zero we deduce that 2bJ' < 10bj—1, contradicting the
    definition of the sequence (bn)n20. Thus for each 2 S j S n there is at least
    one nonzero digit between cbj_1,...,cbj_1. It follows that if k 2 bn, then the
    sum of digits of ak is at least n — 1 2 71/2. Taking into account that b, < c”
    for all n 2 1, the result follows. III

    2.2 Induction and binomial coefficients

    The main topic of this section is the use of induction as a tool for prov-
    ing divisibilities (or for solving constructive problems). Along the way, we
    will study some basic properties of binomial coefficients, which will help us
    establish a certain number of remarkable congruences. The study of binomial
    coefficients will occur quite frequently in this book, since they have remarkable
    arithmetic properties. Since we haven’t developed enough theory so far, the
    results in this section are rather modest, but we will need them later on to
    obtain rather nontrivial results.

    2.2.1 Proving divisibility by induction


    Before studying binomial coefficients, let us spend some time dealing with
    examples of problems involving divisibility in which induction plays a key role.
    Example 2.44. Prove that if n is a power of 3, then n | 2" + 1.
    2.2. Induction and binomial coefi‘icients 23

    Proof. We need to prove that 3’“ divides 23k + 1 for all k 2 0. We prove this
    by induction on k, the case k = 0 being clear. Assume that 3’“ | 23 + 1 and
    write 23k = n - 3k — 1 for some integer n. Then
    23’”1 = (23")3 = (n _ 3k _ D3

    = n3 . 33k _ n2 . 32k+1 + n _ 3k+1 _ 1 E _1 (mod 3k+l),

    as needed.
    We can also prove this result directly, by factoring
    23k—1 + 1)
    1)(223 _ 23 + 1).”(22.3k—1 _
    23k + 1 = (2 + 1)(22 _ 2 +

    and observing that for i 2 0 we have 22'3i — 23" + 1 E 0 (mod 3). Hence each
    of the factors 22 — 2 + 1, 22‘3 — 23 + 1,..., 223'“1 — 23k-1 + 1 is a multiple of 3.
    The result follows. III

    Remark 2.45. We strongly suggest the reader to try to prove by induction


    theorem 2.31, following the same method as the one explained in the previous
    example.
    Example 2.46. Let n be a positive integer. Find the largest integer k for which

    2’6 | (n + 1)(n + 2)...(n + n).


    Proof. Let on = (n + 1)(n + 2)...(n + n). The first few values of the sequence
    (an)n21 are 2, 12 = 3-4, 120 = 8 - 15, etc. We conjecture that the largest k for
    which 2’“ divides an is n. We will prove this by induction, the case n = 1 being
    clear. In order to prove the inductive step, we will find a simple relationship
    between an and an“. Namely,

    an+1 = (n + 2)(n + 3)...(n + 1-+ n + 1) = (n + 2)...(n + n)(2n + 1) - 2(n + 1)


    = 2(n + 1)(n + 2)...(n + n)(2n + 1) = 2a,, - (2n + 1).
    Since 2n + 1 is odd, the highest power of 2 dividing 2a,, (2n+ 1) is one plus the
    largest power of 2 dividing an, thus by induction this highest power is n + 1,
    proving the inductive step. Hence the result of the problem is k = n. El

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