Complete Solutions 2.

2 Page 1 of 11

Complete Solutions to Exercise 2.2

1. (a) We are given 5 which is the floor function of 5. Clearly 5  5 .
   
(b) Although 5.999 is closer to 6 but the floor function of 5.999 is given by
5.999  5
 
(c) Evaluating e  22.459 (3dp) so
 e   22.459  22
   
(d) Similarly, we have e    23.14  23 .
 
(e) This time, we are given the ceiling function 7  . Therefore
 
7   7
 
(f) Now we have to evaluate 7.0000000001 . Although 7.0000000001  7 but
 
because we are dealing with the ceiling function so
7.0000000001  8
 
(g) Similar to part (c) but this time we are given the ceiling function so
 e   22.459  23
   
(h) We have
e    23.14  24
   

2. (a) We are asked to compute 6.3  6.3 :

 
6.3  6.3  6  6  0
   
(b) This time, we need to find 6.3  6.3 :
   
6.3  6.3  6  7   1
   
(c) Similarly, we have
6.3  6.3  7  6  13
   
(d) We have to compute
6.3  6.3  7  7   14
   

3. For x   x  any integer x because

 
 integer  integer= integer
   

4. (a) The graph of x   1 is very similar to the graph of x  but shifted up by
   
one unit:
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 2 of 11

x   1
 

(b) Similarly we have the graph of x   1 :

x   1
 

(c) We are asked to plot the graph of x   1 which is the graph of x  but
shifted up by one unit:

x   1
 
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 3 of 11

(d) Similarly, we have the graph of x   1 :

 

x   1
 

5. (a) We are asked to show 2  x   2  x  is false. This means we have to
   
produce a counter example. Let x  6.3 then
2  x   2  6.3  12.6  13
     
2  x   2  6.3  2  7   14
Hence 2  x   2  x  [Not Equal].
   
(b) To show that 2  x   2  x  is false we need an example where this


statement is not true. Let x  6.3 then

2  x   2  6.3  12.6  13
     
   
2  x   2  6.3  2  7  14
Therefore 2  x   2  x  [Not Equal].
(c) We are asked to show x   x   1 . Let x  2 (could be any integer) then
   
x   2  2 but x   1  2  1  3
       
Thus x   x   1 .
  

6. We are given n  1  x  n where n is a natural number.

(a) We need to prove that x   n .
Proof.
By the definition of ceiling function (2.8):


x   min n : n  x , integer n
  
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 4 of 11

We can rewrite the given n  1  x  n as n  x  n  1 . By applying this

definition we have

  
x   min n : n  x , integer n  min n, n  1, n  2,   n
  
This completes our proof.
■
(b) This time, we have to prove x   n  1 .
Proof.
By the definition of the floor function (2.7):


x   max n : n  x , integer n
  
From the given n  1  x  n and considering the left inequality we have

   
x   max n : n  x , integer n  max , n  3, n  2, n  1  n  1
 
Note that n is not a member of this set because we are given x  n or n  x .
This completes our proof.
■

7. (a) We need to show x   n provided x  1  n  x .

 
Proof.
By the definition of the floor function (2.7):


x   max n : n  x , integer n
  
We are given the inequality x  1  n  x . Adding 1 to the left-hand
inequality gives
x  n 1
From the given inequality on the right-hand we have n  x . Combining
these, n  x and x  n  1 , together yields
n  x  n 1
Applying the floor function definition to this inequality n  x  n  1 :

x   max n : n  x , integer n
  
 
 max , n  2, n  1, n  n
This completes our proof.
■
(b) This time we are asked to show x   n  1 given x  1  n  x .
 
Proof.
We need to use the definition of ceiling function (2.8):
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 5 of 11


x   min n : n  x , integer n
  
Since we are given x  1  n  x so n is less than x, which implies that the
next integer n  1 is greater than x. Why?
Adding 1 to the given inequality x  1  n  x on the left-hand-side gives
x  n 1
The right-hand inequality is n  x . Combining our results we have
n  x  n  1 or other way n  1  x  n
Applying the ceiling function definition (2.8) we have

x   min n : n  x , integer n
  
 
 min n  1, n  2,   n  1
This completes our proof.
■

8. We use corollary (2.10) in each case:

If n  1 is composite then it has a prime divisor p such that p   n  .

 

(a) By using this corollary with n  161 we have

 161   12.69  12
   
The prime numbers below 12 are 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11. Clearly 2, 3 and 5 are not
factors of 161. However 7 is a factor of 161 because
161
 23 or 161  7  23
7
(b) We need to test 203 for compositeness:
 203   14.24780685  14
   
The prime factors below 14 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 13.
We can easily check that 2, 3 and 5 are not factors of 203. But
203
 29 or 203  7  29
7
(c) We need to check that 1003 is composite or not:
 1003   31.67017524  31
   
The prime factors below 31 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29 and 31.
Trialing these prime factors we find that 17 is a factor of 1003 because
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 6 of 11

1003
 59 or 1003  17  59
17
You can check that 59 is prime as well. Hence the prime decomposition of
1003 is 17  59 .
(d) We are given the integer 1009. Similarly we have
 1009   31.76476035  31
   
We trial the same prime factors as part (c). We find that none of these are
factors of 1009 therefore 1009 is a prime.

9. (a) We are given 2  3  5  7   1 which is equal to 209. Clearly 2, 3, 5 and 7

cannot be factors of this number 2  3  5  7   1 because dividing by these
numbers leaves a remainder of 1 . We apply Corollary (2.10):

If n  1 is composite then it has a prime divisor p such that p   n  .

 
If we have a prime factor p then it must satisfy p   209   14 . So the only
 
primes left which are less than 14 are 11 and 13. We find that
209
 19 or 209  11  19
11
(b) This time we are given the number 2  3  5  7   1  211 . Again 2, 3, 5

and 7 cannot be factors of 211. Also the prime factors less than  211   14
 
are 11 and 13. We find that 211 cannot by divided by 11 and 13. By the
contrapositive of Corollary (2.10) we conclude that 211 is prime.

10. We need to test the number 2  3  5  7  11  13  1  30 031 for

compositeness. If 30 031 is composite then it must have a prime factor p
which satisfies
p   30031   173.2945469  173
 
One prime factor of 30 031 must be less than or equal to 173. Clearly 2, 3, 5,
7, 11 and 13 cannot be factors of 30 031 because
2  3  5  7  11  13  1  30 031
We try the primes after this; 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, …
The last prime 59 in this list is actually a factor of 30 031 because
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 7 of 11

30031
 509 or 30031  59  509
59
Since we have found a factor of 30 031 so it is composite. (The prime
decomposition is 59  509 because 509 is also prime.)

n
11. We are asked to show that 23  1 is composite.
Proof.
We use the following identity given in the hint to prove this:

x m  1  x  1 x m1  x m2  x m3    x 2  x  1 provided m is odd 
n
Clearly m  3n is odd so applying this to the given integer 23  1 yields
23  1  2  1 23
n

 n
1
 23
n
2 n
 23 3
   22  2  1
n
Since 2  1  3 so 3 is a factor of 23  1 . We also need to show that the
other factor is greater than 1, that is

2 3n 1
 23
n
2
 23
n
3
   22  2  1  1 
How?
n
Well the left – hand side 23  1  3 for every natural number n. Why?
n
Because 23  2 for every natural number n.
n
Thus, for all n we have 23  1 is composite.
■

12. First note that log10 x  is an increasing function, this means as we increase x
so log10 x  increases as you can see from the graph below:
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 8 of 11

(a) We need to find  log10 101 without using a calculator. From the
properties of logs we have
 
log10 100  log10 102  2 and log10 1000  log10 103  3  
Since 101 lies between 100 and 1000 therefore
2  log10 101  3
The ceiling function is given by:

(2.8) 
x   min n : n  x , integer n
  
By this definition we have  log10 101 is an integer which is greater than or
equal to log10 101 so  log10 101  3 .
(b) We are asked to find  log2 63 . Using the properties of logs we have
 
 
log2 32  log2 2  5 and log2 64  log2 26  6
5
 
Because 63 lies between 32 and 64 so 5  log2 63  6 . The question says we
need to find the floor function of this log2 63 so  log2 63  5 .
 

  
(c) We need to find logn n  given n  1  x  n . Using log properties
x

 n  
log n x   x log n   x 
  n    
because log n   1
 n 
Since n  1  x  n so the floor function of x is n  1 (see question 6(b)). We
have

 n  
log n x   n  1


13. (a) We are asked to show  log10 N   1 gives the number of digits of N  1 .
 
Proof.
Let N  anan 1 a1a 0 where the a’s are the digits of N and an is non-zero.
(The actual number of digits of N is n  1 because our right-hand digit is a 0 ).
We can rewrite this as
N  anan 1 a1a 0  0  anan 1 a1a 0   10n 1
Because shifting the decimal point in 0  anan 1 a1a 0 by n  1 places to the
right gives anan 1 a1a 0  0  anan 1 a1a 0  N .
Taking logs of both sides gives
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 9 of 11


log10 N   log10 0  anan 1 a1a 0  10n 1 
 log10 0  anan 1 a1a 0   log 10n 1  
Applying log A  B   log A  log B 
 

 log10 0  anan 1 a1a 0   n  1 log 10 Applying log A  n log A

n
  

 log10 0  anan 1 a1a 0   n  1 Because log 10  1
 

Now log 0  anan 1 a1a 0  lies between 1 and 0, that is

1  log10 0  anan 1 a1a 0   0
Why?
Because an is non-zero so 0  anan 1 a1a 0 lies strictly between 0 and 1 (cannot
equal 0 or 1) . Substituting this inequality
1  log10 0  anan 1 a1a 0   0
into the above
log10 N   log10 0  anan 1 a1a 0   n  1

1log10 0anan 1 a1a 0 0

Gives
1  n  1  n  log10 N  and log10 N   0  n  1  n  1
Putting these together
n  log10 N   n  1
By the definition of the floor function and result of question 6 part (b) we
have
log N   n
 10 
Note that N  anan 1 a1a 0 has n  1 digits so log10 N   1 gives the number
 
of digits of N.
■
100
(b) The number of digits of Googol  10 can be found using the result of
part (a) log10 N   1 . Let N  10100 then
 
 10 
 log 10100
  1  100  log 10  1
10  
By log An  n  log A
 
 
 100  1  1  100  1  101
The term Googol has 101 digits.
10 
100

(c) The number of digits in 10 can be found similarly to part (b):

  10100 
 log10 10    1  10100  log10 10  1 By log An  n  log A
 
      
 100 
 10   1  10  1 100
 
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 10 of 11

The number of digits in Googolplex is 10100  1 .

74 207 211
(d) (i) We are asked to find the number of digits of 2 . Taking log of
this gives
log10 2  74 207 211

Trying to evaluate this on our calculator gives an error. How can we find this?
Convert to the base 2 by using the given hint:


log2 2
74 207 211
  74 207 211  22 338 596.41

log10 2
74 207 211
 log2 10 3.322
Taking the floor and adding one gives the number of digits

 log10 2

 
74 207 211 


 
  1  22 338 596.41  1  22 338 596  1  22 338 597
74 207 211
(ii) How many digits does 2 have in base 2 number system?
Well using log to the base 2 we have
 
log2 2 
74 207 211
  
 1  74 207 211  log2 2  1  74 207 211  1  74 207 212
  
 1 

14. (i) We need to show that x    x  is false. Consider x  12.5 (any

   
positive non – integer will do):
x   12.5  12  3.464 3dp
   
 x    12.5   3.464  3
     

Hence x    x  [Not equal].

   
 
(ii) We are asked to prove  x     x  for x  0 .
   
Proof.
Clearly if x is a non-negative integer then the given result holds because
x   x .
 
Let  x   n where n is a natural number.
 
If x is positive real number but not an integer then there exists positive
integer n such that n  1  x  n . Then by the result of question 6(b) we
have x   n  1 . We have
 
    
 x     n  1  (*)
   
 Complete Solutions 2.2 Page 11 of 11

By applying the following square root property for a  0, b  0 :

a  b  a b

To n  1  x  n we have n 1  x  n .
By using the definition of floor function (2.7):


x   max m : m  x , integer m
  
On this  x  gives
 

 x   max m : m  x , integer m
  
     
 max   n  3  ,  n  2  ,  n  1    n  1 
   
 
By (*) we have  x     n  1  therefore
   
      
 x     n  1     x 
    From above

This completes our proof.

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