Michaelmas Term 2023
Number Theory: Example Sheet 1 of 4
1. Calculate d = (a, b) and find integers r and s such that ra + sb = d when
(i) a = 841, b = 160;
(ii) a = 2613, b = 2171.
2. Let a and b be integers with a > b > 1. Let λ(a, b) denote the number of individual
applications of the division algorithm required by Euclid’s algorithm to compute
the greatest common divisor of a and b.
(i) Find a pair of four-digit numbers a and b for which λ(a, b) is very small.
(ii) Find a pair of four-digit numbers a and b for which λ(a, b) is large.
(iii) Find constants c and d such that λ(a, b) ⩽ c log b + d.
3. This question is about Diophantine equations of the form ax + by = c, where a, b
and c are fixed positive integers, and we are interested in integer solutions (x, y).
Where possible, give an example of such an equation that has
(i) no solutions;
(ii) exactly one solution;
(iii) infinitely many solutions;
and briefly justify your answers.
4. Let x be an integer greater than 1. Use the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
to show that π(x)
log x
x⩽ 1+ .
log 2
log x
Deduce that when x ⩾ 8 we have π(x) ⩾ 2 log log x
.
5. Let a and n be integers greater than 1. Prove that if an − 1 is prime, then a = 2
and n is prime. Is the converse true?
6. Let q be an odd prime. Prove that every prime factor of 2q − 1 must be congruent
to 1 mod q, and also congruent to ±1 mod 8. Use this to factor 211 − 1 = 2047.
7. We say that a positive integer n is perfect if the sum of all the positive divisors of
n is equal to 2n. Prove that a positive even integer n is perfect if and only if it can
be written in the form n = 2q−1 (2q − 1), where 2q − 1 is prime.
(It is conjectured that there are no odd perfect numbers, but this is as yet un-
known.)
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8. By considering numbers of the form n = (22 · 3 · 5 · · · p) − 1, prove that there are
infinitely many primes congruent to 3 mod 4.
9. Find the smallest non-negative integer x satisfying the congruences x ≡ 2 (mod 3),
x ≡ 3 (mod 5), x ≡ 4 (mod 11), x ≡ 5 (mod 16).
10. Find all integers x satisfying both 19x ≡ 103 (mod 900) and 10x ≡ 511 (mod 841).
11. A positive integer is said to be square-free if it is the product of distinct primes.
(So, for example, 174 is square-free but 175 is not.) Are there 100 consecutive
numbers that are not square-free?
12. Prove that the classes of both 2 and 3 generate (Z/5n Z)× for all positive integers n.
For each of the primes p = 11, 13, 17 and 19, find a generator of (Z/pn Z)× for all
n ⩾ 1.
13. Let A be the group (Z/65520Z)× . Determine the least positive integer n such that
g n = 1 for all g in A.
14. Let a and n be integers greater than 1, and put N = an − 1. Show that the order
of a + N Z in (Z/N Z)× is exactly n, and deduce that n divides ϕ(N ). If n is a
prime, deduce that there are infinitely many primes q such that q ≡ 1 (mod n).
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