Forman Christian College

(A Chartered University)

Department of Mathematics

1 MATH 212
Elementary Number Theory
Lecture 1
2 Introduction
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily
to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions.

German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss stated:

“Mathematics is the queen of the sciences-and number theory is the
queen of mathematics.’’
3 Instructor Information
Name: Dr. Ahmad Mahmood Qureshi
(Associate Professor & Dean Faculty of Computer and Mathematical
Sciences)
Office: S - 204
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday (02:00 PM to 03:30 PM)
OTHERWISE GET APPOINTMENT FIRST.
Email: [email protected]
4 Course Information
Course Code and Title: MATH 212: Elementary Number Theory
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: Math 101 or A Level Mathematics or Intermediate with
Mathematics
Class Room: S - 413
Class Time: Tuesday and Thursday (02:00 PM – 03:15 PM)

Text Book:
1. Elementary Number Theory, 7th edition by David M. Burton.
Reference Books:
1. Elementary Number Theory and its Applications, 6th edition by
Kenneth H Rosen.
2. The Theory of Numbers, by Andrew Adler and John E Coury.
5 Course Objectives
The purpose of this course is to:

1. introduce basic notions and arguments from elementary number

theory.
2. develop a working knowledge of several important concepts,
techniques, and results common in the proofs.
3. have practice sessions of exercises and problems whereby
students comprehend the concepts and techniques of solving
and proving.
4. prepare students for higher level courses in mathematics.
6 Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing this course, the students will:

1. acquire skills related to number theory topics of divisibility, primes

and factorization.

2. be able to prove and apply the classical theorems of elementary

number theory.

3. solve linear congruences

7 Course Requirements
Students must arrive at class on time during their designated weeks and those
coming after attendance call won’t be marked present.
1. Please watch attentively the video lectures shared as part of blended class.
2. Keep a note of your queries, if any, that you are not able to comprehend.
3. You will have the opportunity to get your questions answered, in-person if
you are coming on campus or through a live zoom meeting when off-
campus.
4. Work out the exercise questions to apply and analyze the learned concepts.
5. Quizzes, Mid Term and Finals will be conducted in-class.
6. Working regularly, understanding the lectures, doing exercises will be very
helpful in quizzes, mid-term and final to get a good grade. Your knowledge
of the subject and ability to solve problems will be reflected in your grades.
8 Course Evaluation
Grading will be based on following criteria:

Class participation and behavior 5%

Assignment 5%

Quizzes (Two) 20%

Mid Term 30%

Final Exam 40%

9 Grade Legend
Grading will be based on following criteria:
Grades Quality Points Numerical Value Meaning

A 4.00 93-100 Superior

A- 3.70 90-92
B+ 3.30 87-89
B 3.00 83-86 Good
B- 2.70 80-82
C+ 2.30 77-79
C 2.00 73-76 Satisfactory
C- 1.70 70-72
D+ 1.30 67-69
D 1.00 60-66 Passing
F 0.00 59 or below Failing
10 Course Outline
Week Topic Assessment
1) Discussion of Course Plan and Preliminaries
1 2) Mathematical Induction

1) The Division Algorithm

2 2) Applications and Problem Solving

1) The Divisibility Relation and its Properties

3 2) Applications and Problem Solving

1) The Greatest Common Divisor QUIZ-1

4 2) Applications and Problem Solving Even ID

1) The Euclidean Algorithm QUIZ-1

5 2) Applications and Problem Solving Odd ID
11 Course Outline
Week Topic Assessment
1) The Least Common Multiple
6 2) Applications and Problem Solving

1) The Diophantine Equation ax+by=c

7 2) Applications and Problem Solving

1) Prime Numbers and Divisibility

8 2) Applications and Problem Solving MID-TERM

1) The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic

9 2) Applications and Problem Solving MID-TERM

1) The Sieve of Eratosthenes

10 2) Applications and Problem Solving
12 Course Outline
Week Topic Assessment
1) Congruences and their Properties
11 2) Problem Solving

1) Application of Congruences QUIZ-2

12 2) Problem Solving Even ID

1) Divisibility Tests QUIZ-2

13 2) Problem Solving Odd ID

1) Solution of Linear Congruences

14 2) Problem Solving

1) Fermat's Theorem
15 2) Problem solving

FINAL EXAM (FROM THE WHOLE COURSE) February 15 -24, 2021

13 Number Theory Fun Problems

1. Choose a digit from 1-9. (6)

2. Repeat it three times to give a three-digit number. (666)

3. Divide this number by the sum of its digits. (666/18)

4. Your answer will always be 37.

How it works?
14 Number Theory Fun Problems

1. Think of a three-digit number. (147)

2. Repeat it twice, to form a six-digit number. (147147)

3. The result will be exactly divisible by 7, 11 and 13.

4. Dividing by all three will give your original three-digit number.

How it works?
15 Number Theory Fun Problems

1. A palindromic number is a number that remains the same when

its digits are reversed. For example, 12321 is a five-digit

palindromic number.

2. All four-digit palindromic numbers are divisible by 11.

Example: 2002

How it works?
16 Number Theory Fun Problems
Finding Someone’s Age - Number Trick

1. Ask the person to multiply the first digit of his/her age by 5.

2. Tell them to add 3.

3. Now tell them to double the number obtained.

4. Finally, have the person add the second digit of his/her age to the
result and ask them tell you their answer.

5. Deduct 6 and you will have their age.

How it works?
17 Number Theory Fun Problems
1. Write down a three-digit number whose digits are decreasing. (532)

2. Then reverse the digits to create a new number. (235)

3. Subtract this number from the original number. (532-235=297)

4. With the resulting number, add it to the reverse of itself. (297+792)

5. The number you will get is 1089!

How it works?
18 Chapter 1: Preliminaries
We start the discussion with the basic properties of the integers
necessary to understand basic concepts in this course.

We then introduce the Well-Ordering Principle which states

basically that every set of positive integers has a smallest element.

Proof by Mathematical Induction is also presented as an efficient

method for proving several theorems throughout the course.
19 Sets of Numbers
Natural Numbers
ℕ = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, . . .}, numbers used for counting.
Whole Numbers
𝕎 = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, . . .}
Integers
ℤ = {. . . -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, . . .}
Even Integers
𝔼 = {. . . -6, -4, -2, 0, 2, 4, 6, . . .}, integers divisible by 2.
Odd Integers
𝕆 = {. . . -7, -5, -3, -1, 1, 3, 5, 7, . . .}, integers not divisible by 2.
20 Sets of Numbers
Rational Numbers
ℚ = {a/b: a, b ∈ ℤ, b ≠ 0}, numbers that can be written as the ratio of
two integers. For example, 3/4, -4/5, 22/7, 9, 0, -25/11
Irrational Numbers
ℚ′ = Set of numbers that cannot be written as the ratio of two integers.
For example, √2=1.41421356237; √3=1.73205080757,
pi=π=3.14159265359; e=2.71828182846;
Golden ratio = φ = (1+√5)/2=1.6180339887
Real Numbers
ℝ= ℚ ∪ ℚ′ = collection of all rational and irrational numbers.
21 Well-Ordering Principle
We accept the Well-Ordering Principle as an axiom (a statement that is
accepted as true; it is consistent with known facts; a self-evident
statement).

“Every nonempty set S of nonnegative integers contains a least element,

that is, there is some integer a in S such that a ≤ b, for all b ∈ S.”

Remark:

The Well-Ordering Principle only assures the existence of a least

element. It does not tell us how to find the smallest element.
22 Well-Ordering Principle
Example:
Find the least element of S= {n ∈ ℕ ǀ n=5m+8 for some integer m}.
We note that for m=0, n=5(0) +8 = 8 ∈ S. Hence S is a non-empty set
of positive integers. By the well-ordering principle S contains a least
element.
To find the least element in S, we need 5m+8>0, which implies m> -
8/5. Since m has to be an integer, we need m ≥ -1.
Further n = 5m+8 is an increasing function in m, its smallest positive
value occurs when m= -1.
The smallest element in S is therefore 5(-1)+8 = 3.
23 Archimedean Property of Integers

Theorem:

If a and b are any positive integers then there exists a positive integer n
such that na ≥ b.

Proof: Suppose that the statement is not true. Then there are some
positive integers a and b such that for every positive integer n, na < b.

We consider the set S = {b-na ǀ n ∈ ℕ}.

Since na < b, so b-na >0 for all n ∈ ℕ. Hence S is a non-empty set of

positive integers.

By the well-ordering principle, S has a least element say b-ma.

24 From the construction of elements of S = {b-na ǀ n ∈ ℕ}, we have

b-(m+1)a ∈ S.

Moreover, b-(m+1)a = (b-ma)-a < b-ma as a >0.

This implies that b-(m+1)a is an element of S that is less than the

least element b-ma of S, which is a contradiction.
Hence, our initial supposition is not true and so the stated
Archimedean property holds in the set of positive integers.
25 With the well-ordering principle, we can derive the First Principle of
Finite Induction, which provides a basis for a method of proof called
Mathematical Induction.

Theorem

Let S be the set of positive integers with the following properties:

a) The integer 1 belongs to S.

b) Whenever the integer k is in S, the next integer k+1 must also be
in S.

Then S is the set of all positive integers.

26 Proof: Let T be the set of all positive integers not in S, and assume T
is non empty. Then by the well-ordering principle, T has a least
element, say a.

Since 1 ∈ S and a ∈ T= ℕ - S, so a > 1 and hence 0 < a – 1 < a.

Now a ∈ T is the least element of T, and a – 1 < a, so a – 1 ∉ T.

But a – 1> 0, so a – 1 ∈ S. By hypothesis b), S must also contain the

element (a – 1)+1= a, which contradicts the fact that a belong to T.

We conclude that our assumption is not true and T must be empty.

Accordingly, S= ℕ - T= ℕ, the set of all positive integers.
27 THANK YOU