CS378, Spring 2023

Homework 1 – Solutions

Problem 1

(a) Find integers x and y such that 1 = 26x + 55y. If you think the problem has no solutions, explain why.

We will use the EEA:

i qi ri xi yi
0 26 1 0
1 55 0 1
2 0 26 1 0
3 2 3 −2 1
4 8 2 17 −8
5 1 1 -19 9
6 2 0

The answer is x = −19 and y = 9.

(b) Find integers x and y such that 1 = 28x + 105y. If you think the problem has no solutions, explain why.

The problem has no solution because for every integers x and y, 7|28x + 105y. However, 7 6 |1.

(c) If you found a solution in (a) or (b), can you also find another solution to that problem? If not - why not?
If yes, what is it?

We found a solution in (a). That is, we have integers x and y such that 1 = 26x + 55y. Observe that it
follows that 1 = 26x + 26 · 55 − 26 · 55 + 55y = 26(x + 55) + 55(y − 26). Thus, if a pair (x, y) is a solution,
so is the pair (x + 55, y − 26). In our case, x0 = 36 and y 0 = −17 is also a solution (and, in fact, there are
infinitely many solutions).

Problem 2

(a) Find 28−1 (mod 55)

First, we use the EEA to find integers x and y such that 1 = 28x + 55y. It is possible because
gcd(28, 55) = 1.

i qi ri xi yi
0 28 1 0
1 55 0 1
2 0 28 1 0
3 1 27 −1 1
4 1 1 2 −1
5 27 0
We obtain x = 2. Thus, 1 ≡ 28 · 2 (mod 55) and so, 28−1 ≡ 2 (mod 55). The answer: 2.

(b) Solve 28x + 11 ≡ 6 (mod 55)

Subtract 11 from both sides to get 28x ≡ −5 (mod 55). Multiplying both sides by 28−1 = 2 (mod 55) we
obtain x ≡ 2 · (−5) ≡ −10 ≡ 45 (mod 55). The solution: 45.

Problem 3

(a) Find all integer solutions of 12x ≡ 52 (mod 238).

We have gcd(12, 238) = 2. Since 2|52, we reduce our equation to

6x ≡ 26 (mod 119).

We now use the EEA to find that 6−1 ≡ 20 (mod 119). Thus, x ≡ 20 · 26 ≡ 44 (mod 119). It follows that
every solution to the original equation is an integer of the form 44 + 119k, where k ∈ Z.

(b) Find all integer solutions of 12x ≡ 26 (mod 238).

We have gcd(12, 238) = 2. Since 2|26, we reduce our equation to

6x ≡ 13 (mod 119).

We know that 6−1 ≡ 20 (mod 119). Thus, x ≡ 20 · 13 ≡ 22 (mod 119). It follows that every solution to
the original equation is an integer of the form 22 + 119k, where k ∈ Z.

Problem 4

(a): Use the EA to compute gcd(1870, 359) and gcd(359, 273).

0 1870
1 359
2 75
3 59
4 16
5 11
6 5
7 1
8 0

Thus, gcd(1870, 359) = 1.

 0 359
1 273
2 86
3 15
4 11
5 4
6 3
7 1
8 0

Thus, gcd(359, 273) = 1.

(b): Using the results of (a) and the fact that 1870 = 2 · 5 · 11 · 17 and 273 = 3 · 7 · 13, prove that 359 is
prime.
√
If 359 has a divisor other than 1 and 359, it must have a prime divisor smaller than or equal to b 359c = 18.
Thus, one of 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 would have to divide 359. As gcd(359, 273) = 1, none of 3, 7, 13 divides
359, and if one of the remaining primes 2, 5, 11, 17 divided 359, we would have gcd(1870, 359) > 1, a
contradiction. Thus, 359 is a prime.

Problem 5

(a): Compute gcd(12317, 10573) (show the results of all iterations of the Euclid Algorithm).

0 12317
1 10573
2 1744
3 109
4 0

Thus, gcd(12317, 10573) = 109.

(b): Using the result from (a), factor 12317 and 10573 into products of prime.

Dividing each integer by 109, we get that 12317 = 109 · 113 and 10573 = 109 · 97. Since 113 and 97 are
prime, the two products are the prime factorizations we are asked to find.

Problem 6

(a): Define the Fibonacci sequence by F1 = 1, F2 = 1 and Fn+1 = Fn + Fn−1 . Use the EA to find
gcd(Fn , Fn−1 ).

Since the sequence is strictly increasing for n ≥ 2, we see that Fn mod Fn−1 = Fn−2 , for every n ≥ 2.
Thus, the EA computation of gcd(Fn , Fn−1 ) looks like this:
 0 Fn
1 Fn−1
2 Fn−2
···
n−2 F2 (=2)
n−1 F1 (= 1)
n 0

Thus, gcd(Fn , Fn−1 ) = 1.

(b): Find gcd(22 . . . 2, 22 . . . 2), where the first integer’s decimal representation is a sequence of 38 2’s, and
the second integer’s decimal representation is a sequence of 21 2’s.

Based on (c), the answer is an integer consisting of gcd(38, 21) 2s. Since gcd(38, 21) = 1, the answer is 2.

(c) Solve (b), in the general case when the first integer is a sequence of n 2’s and the second integer isd a
sequence of m 2’s.

Assume x is an integer whose decimal representation is a sequence of n 2’s. Assume also that y is an integer
whose decimal representation is a sequence of m 2’s. Without loss of generality, we may assume that n ≥ m.
Assume that k = n (mod m). Then n = qm + k, for some non-negative integer q. Moreover, 0 ≤ k < m.
Finally, define z to be an integer whose decimal representation is a sequence of qm 2’s. We can show that
y|z. Indeed,
z = (10k(q−1) + 10k(q−2) + . . . + 10k + 100 )y.

Let w = z · 10k . Then w is an integer whose decimal representation is a sequence of n − qm 2’s followed
by k 0’s. Let u be an integer whose decimal representation consists of k 2’s ((0, if k = 0). Then

x = w + u = 10k z + u = 10k (10k(q−1) + 10k(q−2) + . . . + 10k + 100 )y + u.

Since u < y, It follows that u = x (mod y).
Thus, when we run the Euclid algorithm on x and y, we generate a sequence of integers, each a sequence of
2’s, with the number of 2’s given by the integer generated by the Euclid algorithm run on n amd m in the
corresponding iteration.
It follows that gcd(x, y) is a number given by a sequence of gcd(n, m) 2’s.

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