CM121A, Abstract Algebra 1. Suppose that a, b and c are positive integers.

Solution Sheet 2

(a) Prove that if a|b and b|c, then (b/a)|(c/a). Solution: If a|b and b|c, then m = b/a and n = c/b are integers, and c/a = (c/b)(b/a) = nm is divisible by m = b/a. (b) Prove that if c is a common divisor of a and b, then gcd(a/c, b/c) = (gcd(a, b))/c. Solution: Let g = gcd(a, b). Since c|a and c|b, we know that c|g (Theorem 2.2.2), so g/c is an integer. We have to prove that g/c = h, where h = gcd(a/c, b/c). We know (from part (a)) that g/c divides a/c, and g/c divides b/c. Being a common divisor of a/c and b/c, we know that g/c h. On the other hand, we also know (again by Theorem 2.2.2) that g = ax + by for some x, y Z. Therefore g/c = (a/c)x + (b/c)y is divisible by h (since h|(a/c) and h|(b/c)). Also note that g/c is positive (since both c and g are), so h g/c. Therefore h = g/c. 2. Suppose that a, b, c and d are integers, with a = 0. Suppose that a and b are relatively prime. (a) Prove that if d|a, then b and d are relatively prime. Solution: Let g = gcd(b, d). Then g|b and g|d, and since d|a, we know that g is a positive common divisor of a and b. Since a and b are relatively prime, we must have g = 1. (Alternatively, apply Corollary 2.3.2: we know that ax + by = 1 for some x, y Z, and a = dk for some k Z, so d(kx) + by = 1, and it follows that b and d are relatively prime.) (b) Prove that gcd(a, c) = gcd(a, bc). Solution: Let g = gcd(a, c) and h = gcd(a, bc). Since g|a and g|c, it follows that g|bc, so g is a common divisor of a and bc. Therefore g h. On the other hand, we know h|a and h|bc. Since a and b are relatively prime and h|a, it follows from part (a) that h and b are relatively prime. So it follows from Corollary 2.3.4 that h|c. Now we know h is a positive common divisor of a and c, so h g. Therefore g = h. (c) Prove that a2 and b2 are relatively prime. Solution: Applying part (b) in the case b = c, we see that if a and b are relatively prime, then so are a and b2 . Now apply this again with our b2 as a and our a as b to conclude that b2 and a2 are relatively prime. 3. Suppose that m and n are positive integers and g = gcd(m, n). (a) Prove that if k is an integer divisible by both m and n, then k is divisible by mn/g. (Hint: Use the fact that m/g and n/g are relatively prime to show that k/g is divisible by (m/g)(n/g).) Solution: Since g|m and m|k, we have m = ga and k = mc for some a, c Z. Therefore k/g = gac/g = ac is an integer divisible by 1

m/g = a. Similarly, writing n = gb and k = nd for some c, d Z, we see that k/g = bd is an integer divisible by n/g = b. Since m/g and n/g are relatively prime (Cor. 2.3.3) and both divide k/g, their product (m/g)(n/g) divides k/g (Cor. 2.3.5). Multiplying through by g, we conclude that mn/g divides k. (b) Show that mn/g is the least positive common multiple of m and n. Solution: Since m/g and n/g are integers, mn/g is a multiple of both n and n. We saw in part (a) that every common multiple of m and n is divisble by mn/g, so if k is a positive multiple of m and n, then k mn/g. Therefore mn/g is the least positive common multiple of m and n. 4. Find all solutions with x, y Z to each of the following linear Diophantine equations (or show it has no solutions): (a) 42x + 15y = 7; Solution: Using the Euclidean Algorithm 42 = 215+12, 15 = 12+3, and 12 = 4 3, so g = gcd(42, 15) = 3. Since 7 is not divisible by 3, there are no solutions. (b) 154x + 345y = 18; Solution: Using the Euclidean Algorithm 345 = 2 154 + 37, 154 = 437+6 and 37 = 66+1, so gcd(154, 345) = 1 and there are solutions. To get a solution, rst write 1 as an integer linear combination of 154 and 345 by unwinding the equations gotten from the Euclidean algorithm: 1 = 37 6 6 = 37 6(154 4 37) = 25 37 6 154 = 25(345 2 154) 6 154 = 25 345 56 154. Muultiplying through by 18 gives 154 (1008) + 345 450 = 18, so one solution is given by x0 = 1008, y0 = 450. Therefore by Theorem 2.4.5, the general solution is x = 1008 + 345k, y = 450 154k for k Z. (Or switch to a smaller x0 , y0 , for example taking k = 3 gives x = 27, y = 12 as a solution, so another expression for the general solution is therefore x = 27 + 345k, y = 12 154k for k Z.) (c) 1066x + 2009y = 164. Solution: According to the solution of Exercise 1.6, gcd(1066, 2009) = 41 and 41 = 17 1066 9 2009. Since 164 = 4 41, we can multiply through by 4 to get the solution x0 = 68, y0 = 36. Since 2009/41 = 49 and 1066/41 = 26, the general solution is x = 68 + 49k, y = 36 26k, for k Z.

Or taking k = 1 to get smaller values gives x = 19 + 49k y = 10 26k 2 for k Z.

5. Youre at a shop in the airport about to leave New York. You want to spend the last $15 of your US money on chocolate by buying a combination of Mercury bars, which cost 39 cents apiece, and Andromeda bars, which cost 47 cents apiece. How many of each do you need to buy so you wont have any change? Solution: Let x be the number of Mercury bars and y the number of Andromeda bars. We have to solve the equation 39x + 47y = 1500, where x and y are non-negative integers. We work through the Euclidean algorithm for a = 39, b = 47: 47 = 1 39 39 = 4 8 8 = 17 7 = 71 + + + + 8 7 1 0.

The last non-zero remainder is 1, so g = gcd(39, 47) = 1. Therefore the equation has integer solutions. Unwinding the above equations gives: 1 = 8 7 = 8 (39 4 8) = 5 8 39 = 5 (47 39) 39 = 5 47 6 39.

Multiplying through by 1500 gives 9000 39 + 7500 47 = 1500, so an integer solution is x0 = 9000, y0 = 7500.

Since g = 1, Theorem 2.4.5 gives all integer solutions as: x = 9000 + 47k, y = 7500 39k for k Z.

The values of k giving non-negative solutions must satisfy 9000 + 47k 0, 7500 39k 0,

This is equivalent to k 9000/47 191.5, and k 7500/39 192.3. Therefore the only possible value of k is 192, giving x = 24, y = 12.

So you need to buy 24 Mercury bars and 12 Andromeda bars. 6. Suppose that p, q and r are distinct primes. What is the greatest common divisor of p3 q 2 r and p2 r2 ? Solution: According to Cor. 2.5.6, the common positive divisors are the integers of the form pa q b rc , where a, b, c are non-negative integers satisfying a min{3, 2} = 2, b min{2, 0} = 0, c min{1, 2} = 1. The greatest common divisor is therefore p2 r. 3

7. Suppose that a and b are positive integers with prime factorizations a = pr1 pr2 prk , 1 2 k b = ps1 ps2 psk 1 2 k

where p1 , p2 , . . . , pk are distinct primes and r1 , r2 , . . . , rk , s1 , s2 , . . . , sk are non-negative integers. (a) Prove that the least positive common multiple of a and b is pt1 pt2 ptk 1 2 k where ti = max{ri , si } for i = 1, 2 . . . , k. Solution: Suppose that c is a positive integer. Write its prime factorization as
v v c = pu1 pu2 puk q1 1 q2 2 q v , 1 2 k

where q1 , q2 , . . . , q are primes distinct from p1 , p2 , . . . , pk , and u1 , u2 , . . . , uk , v1 , v2 , . . . , v are non-negative integers. According to Cor. 2.5.6, c is a common multiple of a and b if and only ui ri and ui si . Therefore the least common multiple of a and c is gotten by taking each ui = max{ri , si } and each vi = 0. (b) Use this to give another solution to Exercise 3b. Solution: Write m = p r1 p r2 p rk , 1 2 k n = ps1 ps2 psk 1 2 k

where p1 , p2 , . . . , pk are distinct primes and r1 , r2 , . . . , rk , s1 , s2 , . . . , sk are non-negative integers. By part (a), we have that the least positive common multiple of m and n is h = pt1 pt2 ptk 1 2 k where ti = max{ri , si }. According to Cor. 2.5.6, we have g = gcd(m, n) = pu1 pu2 puk 1 2 k where ui = min{ri , si }. Since max{ri , si } + min{ri , si } = ri + si , we see that gh = mn, and h = mn/g.