2 MT181 problems

Please write your solutions on A4 paper, scan them and submit them as a single pdf document
on moodle (deadlines and instructions can be found on moodle).

If you want to give feedback about this worksheet to the lecturer (e.g., what problems you
found difficult/useful/interesting/fun), please write it on the first page of your solutions.

This worksheet counts towards the final mark for this course.

—————-

There are 3 types of mathematicians: those who can count, and those who can’t.

1. (a) Find integers q and r such that n = qm + r and 0 ≤ r < m when (i)
n = 18, m = 7 and (ii) n = −18, m = 7. What do you notice about the
sum of the two remainders you obtained?
(b) Let a, b ∈ N and let q be the quotient and r the remainder on dividing
b by a. So b = qa + r where 0 ≤ r < a. Suppose that r 6= 0. Find
the (positive) remainder and the (negative) quotient obtained when −b
is divided by a. (Justify your answer.)

2. Use Euclid’s Algorithm to determine gcd(m, n) and to find integers s and t such
that gcd(m, n) = sm + tn when m = 851, n = 390.

3. (a) Let n, r and s be integers all greater than 1 such that n = rs and
√
r ≤ s. By assuming that r > n and deriving a contradiction, show that
√
r ≤ n.
(b) Deduce that if n is a composite number then n is divisible by a prime p
√
such that p ≤ n.
(c) Using your calculator, decide wether 953 is prime by testing for divisibility
by the odd primes 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, . . . in turn. Why don’t you have to test
for divisibility by 31?
The problems below are supplementary exercises. A model solution will
be given, but your solution will not be marked.

4. (a) Find the ternary (base 3) representation of 79.

(b) Find the denary (base 10) representation of the integer whose ternary
representation is (12121)3 .

5. Use Euclid’s Algorithm to determine gcd(m, n) and to find integers s and t such
that gcd(m, n) = sm + tn when m = 61938, n = 16983.

There are 10 types of people: those who understand binary, and those who don’t.

Brain teaser [Not examinable; no hints; no solution provided!] Find out about the game
of Nim. (Use the web). There is a winning strategy for Nim, which involves expressing the
number of matches in each pile in binary. What is this strategy?