Math 406, Introduction to Number Theory 10/16/14

MIDTERM EXAM SOLUTIONS

1) a) We have
361 = 1 209 + 152
209 = 1 152 + 57
152 = 2 57 + 38
57 = 1 38 + 19
38 = 2 19 + 0
and hence gcd(361, 209) = 19.
b) Following the Euclidean algorithm backwards, we find that
19 = 57 38 = 57 (152 2 57) = 3 57 152 = 3(209 152) 152
= 3 209 4 152 = 3 209 4 (361 209) = 4 361 + 7 209.
Therefore one solution to the equation 361x + 209y = 19 is the pair (x, y) = (4, 7).
Dividing by 19, we see that the equation is equivalent to 19x + 11y = 1, and we
have an infinite family of solutions x = 4 + 11t, y = 7 19t, where t Z. Setting
e.g. t = 1 and t = 1 gives the two additional solutions (7, 12) and (15, 26).

2) Using the definition of the congruence relation, we see that the condition is the
same as asking that n divides 5678 1234 = 4444. In other words, we seek the
number of positive divisors of 4444 = 4 1111 = 22 11 101. This is given by
(2 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 12.

3) We have gcd(35,65)=5 and 5 divides 40, so we deduce that the congruence will
have exactly 5 solutions modulo 65. The congruence is equivalent to 7x 8 mod 13.
Since 7 2 = 14 1 mod 13, we deduce that 7 16 8 mod 13, so x = 16 3 is the
unique solution mod 13 to the congruence 7x 8 mod 13. The original congruence
thus has the five solutions 3, 16, 29, 42, and 55 mod 65.

4) a) The assumptions imply that c divides 2a = (a + b) + (a b). Since c is odd,

and hence (2, c) = 1, it follows that c divides a.
b) Similarly, we obtain that c divides 2b = (a + b) (a b), and hence that c divides
b. Since c is a common divisor of a and b, it follows that c must divide gcd(a, b)
(this is a property of the greatest common divisor).

5) We are given that pq + 1 = m2 for some natural number m, which implies that
pq = (m 1)(m + 1). The only positive divisors of pq are 1, p, q, and pq, and
m 1 and m + 1 must be two of these. Clearly there are only the two possibilities:
(m 1, m + 1) = (1, pq), or (m 1, m + 1) = (p, q). If m 1 = 1, then m + 1 = 3,
1
so (m 1)(m + 1) = 3, which is not a product pq of two distinct primes. Therefore
we must have m 1 = p and m + 1 = q, which implies that q = p + 2.

6) a) If a is an integer and p is a prime number which does not divide a, then

ap1 1 mod p.
b) Observe first that 333 3 mod 11. Applying Fermats theorem, we have that
310 1 mod 11. Therefore
333888 3888 = (310 )88 38 38 = 94 (2)4 = 16 5 mod 11.
We similarly find that 888 8 mod 11 and 810 1 mod 11. It follows that
888333 8333 = (810 )33 83 83 (3)3 = 27 6 mod 11.
We conclude that
333888 + 888333 5 + 6 = 11 0 mod 11,
as required.

EC) Since 29 is a prime number, Wilsons theorem implies that 28! 1 (mod 29).
Next, observe that
1 = 28! = 28 27 26 25! (1)(2)(3) 25! = (6) 25! mod 29.
We deduce that if x := 25! mod 29, then 6x 1 mod 29, or equivalently, 6x 1
mod 29. This linear congruence is easily solved, e.g. we may rewrite it as 6x 30
mod 29, and then cancel a factor of 6 from both sides to obtain x 5 mod 29 as
the unique solution. Therefore the remainder when 25! is divided by 29 is 5.