SOLUTIONS: PROBLEM SET 8 (SECTION 5)

2.
(a)
2x 1 20 (mod 19);
x 10 (mod 19).
(b) 4x 6 (mod 18) is equivalent to 2x 3 12 (mod 9), so that
the solution is x 6 (mod 9), or x 6, 15 (mod 18).
(c)
3x 1 39 (mod 19);
x 13 (mod 19).
(d) 20x 984 (mod 1984) is equivalent to 5x 246 250 (mod 496),
so that the general solution is x 50 446 (mod 496), or
x 446, 942, 1438, 1934

(mod 1984).

4.
(a)
x = 1 + 2t 2
t2

(mod 3);

2t 1 4
x5

(mod 3);

(mod 3);

(mod 6).

(b)
x = 2 + 5t;
4 + 10t 4 + 3t 3 (mod 7);
3t 1 6 (mod 7);
t = 2 + 7u;
x = 12 + 35u;
3x = 36 + 105u 3 + 6u 4 (mod 11);
6u 1 12 (mod 11);
u 2 (mod 1)1;
x = 12+35u 82 (mod 385).
(c)
x = 31 + 41t 6 + 15t 59 7 (mod 26);
15t 1 27 (mod 26);
5t 9 35 (mod 26);
t 7 (mod 26);
x 318 (mod 1066).
10.
(a) Subtracting the first congruence from twice the second one, we
obtain
5x 1 35

(mod 9);

x7

(mod 9).

Substituting for x in the second equation, we get

21 + y 3 + y 2 (mod 9);
1

y 1 8

(mod 9).

SOLUTIONS: PROBLEM SET 8 (SECTION 5)

(b) Since multiplying by 2 may lose information (mod 10), this time
we subtract the second equation from three times the first one to
obtain 5y 7 (mod 10), which has no solution, since 5 divides
10, but not 7. Hence this system of congruences has no solution.
12. Anything congruent to 1, (mod 4) and (mod 3), is also congruent
to 1 (mod 2) and (mod 6); hence it suffices to solve the system
7x 1

(mod 3),

7x 1

(mod 4),

7x 1 (mod 5),

x3

(mod 4),

x 3 (mod 5).

or equivalently,
x 1 (mod 3),

Since anything congruent to 3 both (mod 4) and (mod 5) is congruent

to 3 (mod 20), the last two congruences are equivalent to x = 3 + 20t
and the first one becomes
7x x = 3 + 20t 2t 1

(mod 3);

t2

(mod 3).

Thus the smallest positive value for t is 2, giving x = 43 so that 7x =

301 is the number desired.