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IS Unit 2 Euclid algorithm notes

The Euclidean algorithm is a method for finding the greatest common divisor (gcd) of two positive integers, defined as the largest integer that divides both numbers. The algorithm involves repeated division, where the gcd is determined through a series of steps until a remainder of zero is reached. An example illustrates the process, demonstrating the efficiency of the algorithm in calculating the gcd of large numbers.

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IS Unit 2 Euclid algorithm notes

The Euclidean algorithm is a method for finding the greatest common divisor (gcd) of two positive integers, defined as the largest integer that divides both numbers. The algorithm involves repeated division, where the gcd is determined through a series of steps until a remainder of zero is reached. An example illustrates the process, demonstrating the efficiency of the algorithm in calculating the gcd of large numbers.

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THE EUCLIDEAN ALGORITHM

One of the basic techniques of number theory is the Euclidean algorithm,


which is a simple procedure for determining the greatest common divisor of two positive integers. First, we need a simple
definition: Two integers are relatively prime if their only common positive integer factor is 1.

Greatest Common Divisor:

Recall that nonzero b is defined to be a divisor of a if a = mb for some m, where a, b, and m are integers. We will use
the notation gcd(a, b) to mean the greatest common divisor of a and b. The greatest common divisor of a and b is the largest
integer that divides both a and b. We also define gcd(0, 0) = 0.
More formally, the positive integer c is said to be the greatest common divisor of a and b if
1. c is a divisor of a and of b.

2. Any divisor of a and b is a divisor of c. An equivalent definition is the following:


gcd(a, b) = max[k, such that k | a and k | b]

Because we require that the greatest common divisor be positive, gcd(a, b) =

gcd(a, - b) = gcd( - a, b) = gcd( - a, - b). In general, gcd(a, b) = gcd( | a | , | b | ).

gcd(60, 24) = gcd(60, -24) = 12

Also, because all nonzero integers divide 0, we have gcd(a, 0) = |a|.

We stated that two integers a and b are relatively prime if their only common positive integer factor is 1. This is equivalent
to saying that a and b are relatively prime if gcd(a, b) = 1.

8 and 15 are relatively prime because the positive divisors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8, and the positive divisors of 15 are 1,
3, 5, and 15. So 1 is the only integer on both lists.

Finding the Greatest Common Divisor

We now describe an algorithm credited to Euclid for easily finding the greatest common divisor of two integers. This
algorithm has significance subsequently in this chapter. Suppose we have integers a, b such that d = gcd(a, b).
Because gcd( | a | , | b | ) = gcd(a, b), there is no harm in assuming a >= b > 0. Now dividing a by b and applying the
division algorithm, we can state:
At each iteration, we have d = gcd(ri, ri + 1) until finally d = gcd(rn, 0) = rn. Thus, we can find the greatest common divisor
of two integers by repetitive application of the division algorithm. This scheme is known as the Euclidean algorithm.

We have essentially argued from the top down that the final result is the gcd(a, b). We can also argue
from the bottom up. The first step is
to show that rn divides a and b. It follows from the last division in Equation (4.3) that rn divides rn - 1. The
next to last division shows that rn divides rn – 2 because it divides both terms on the right. Successively, one sees that rn
divides all ri’s and finally a and b. It remains to show that rn is the largest divisor that divides a and b. If we take any
arbitrary integer that divides a and b, it must also divide r1, as explained previously. We can follow the sequence of
equations in Equation (4.3) down and show that c must divide all ri’s. Therefore c must divide rn, so that rn = gcd(a, b).

Let us now look at an example with relatively large numbers to see the power of this algorithm:

In this example, we begin by dividing 1160718174 by 316258250, which gives 3


with a remainder of 211943424. Next we take 316258250 and divide it by 211943424. The process continues until we get a
remainder of 0, yielding a result of 1078.

It will be helpful in what follows to recast the above computation in tabular form. For every step of the iteration, we have ri - 2 =
qiri - 1 + ri, where ri - 2 is the dividend, ri - 1 is the divisor, qi is the quotient, and ri is the remainder. Table 4.1 summarizes the r
esults.

Table 4.1 Euclidean Algorithm Example

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