WUCT121: Discrete Mathematics

Wollongong College Australia

Assignment 3, Autumn 2011

Student name: _______________________________________ Student number: ______________

Please staple your assignment together, with this cover sheet. Give full working for all answers,
unless the question says otherwise. Untidy or badly set-out work will not be marked, and will be
recorded as unsatisfactory. This assignment must be submitted before the end of your tutorial in
week 7.

Question 1.

a) Write down the tautology that is used in Proof by Contradiction.

b) Using proof by contradiction or otherwise, prove the following statement:
There is not a largest prime number.

Question 2.

a) Write down the tautology that is used in Proof by Contrapositive.

b) Using proof by contrapositive or otherwise, prove the following statement:
For all natural numbers n, if n3 is odd then n is odd.

Question 3.

Prove or disprove the following statements.

(a) For each a,b in R, where a 0, b 0 and a b,

1 1 1
=
a b a b

(b) There exists an integer such that the sum of its digits is 17.

Question 4.

Use the Generalised Principle of Mathematical Induction to prove for all natural numbers n 4

n!> 2 n

WUCT121: Discrete Mathematics

Assignment 3, Autumn 2011
Submission Receipt

Student name: _______________________________________ Student number: ______________

Date submitted: ______________________________________ Tutor initials: ________________

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Question 5.

Let p1, p2, p3, ... , pn be the first n prime numbers. That is, p1= 2, p2= 3, p3= 5, and so on, and

p1 < p2 < p3 < < pn.

(i) Let m = p2p3...pn. Prove that m is odd and deduce that m + 1 is not prime. [HINT: one way to get
started is to prove that a product of two odd numbers is odd.]

Question 6.

Consider the following argument:

If 19 is less than 15, then 11 is not a prime number.
19 is not less than 15. So 11 is a prime number.
(a) Translate the argument into symbolic form, using P and Q to represent statements.
(b) Construct a truth table and thereby establish whether the above argument is valid or contains
errors.
(c) (i) If you decide that the argument contains errors, then reword it in such a way as to
make it a valid argument.
(ii) If you decide that the argument is valid, then reword it in such a way as to make it
false.
Question 7.
Let G = (V , E) be the graph given below.

Draw two subgraphs H=(VH,EH) of G such that (v) = 4 .

vVH

WUCT121: Discrete Mathematics

Assignment 3, Autumn 2011
Submission Receipt

Student name: _______________________________________ Student number: ______________

Date submitted: ______________________________________ Tutor initials: ________________

Page 2 of 2