Tutorial & Homework 4

MATS4217, Second Semester 2023-2024 (Week 4, 26 April)

Practice solving as many problems as possible.

From Silverman pp 94-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. (a) Explain why the statement “one-fifth of all numbers are congruent to 2 modulo 5” makes sense
by using the counting function

F (x) = #{positive numbers n ≤ x satisfying n = 2 (mod 5)}.

(b) Explain why the statement “most numbers are not squares” makes sense by using the counting
function
S(x) = #{square numbers less than x}.
Find a simple function of x that is approximately equal to S(x) when x is large.

2. (a) Check that every even number between 70 and 100 is a sum of two primes.
(b) How many different ways can 70 be written as a sum of two primes 70 = p + q with p ≤ q?
Same question for 90? Same question for 98?

3. The number n! (n factorial) is the product of all numbers from 1 to n. For example, 4! = 1·2·3·4 = 24
and 7! = 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 = 5040. If n ≥ 2, show that all the numbers

n! + 2, n! + 3, n! + 4, · · · , n! + (n − 1), n! + n

are composite numbers.

4. (a) Do you think there are infinitely many primes of the form N 2 + 2?
(b) Do you think there are infinitely many primes of the form N 2 − 2?
(c) Do you think there are infinitely many primes of the form N 2 + 3N + 2?
(d) Do you think there are infinitely many primes of the form N 2 + 2N + 2?

5. The Prime Number Theorem says that the number of primes smaller than x is approximately x/ ln(x).
This exercise asks you to explain why certain statements are plausible. So do not try to write down
formal mathematical proofs. Instead, explain as convincingly as you can in words why the Prime
Number Theorem makes each of the following statements reasonable.

(a) If you choose a random integer between 1 and x, then the probability that you chose a prime
number is approximately 1/ ln(x).
(b) If you choose two random integers between 1 and x, then the probability that both of them are
prime numbers is approximately 1/(ln x)2 .
(c) The number of twin primes between 1 and x should be approximately x/(ln x)2 . [Notice that
this explains the conjectured limit formula for the twin prime counting function T (x).]

6. (This exercise is for people who have taken some calculus.) The Prime Number Theorem says that
the counting function for primes, π(x), is approximately equal to R xx/ ln(x) when x is large. It turns
out that π(x) is even closer to the value of the definite integral 2 dt/ ln(t).

(a) Show that Z x   

dt x
lim = 1.
x→∞ 2 ln(t) ln(x)
Rx
This means that 2 dt/ ln(t) and x/ ln(x) are approximately the same when x is large. [Hint.
Use L’Hôpital’s rule and the Second Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.]
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 (b) It can be shown that
(ln(t))2 (ln(t))3 (ln(t))4
Z
dt
= ln(ln(t)) + ln(t) + + + + ··· .
ln(t) 2 · 2! 3 · 3! 4 · 4!
Rx
Use this series to compute numerically the value of 2 dt/ ln(t) for x = 10, 100, 1000, 104, 106,
and 109. Compare the values you get with the values R x of π(x) and x/ ln(x) given in the table
on page 92. Which is closer to π(x), the integral 2 dt/ ln(t) or the function x/ ln(x)? (This
problem can be done with a simple calculator, but you’ll probably prefer to use a computer or
programmable calculator.)
(c) Differentiate the series in (b) and show that the derivative is actually equal to 1/ ln(t). [Hint.
Use the series for ex .]

From Silverman pp 139-140 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7. Let n be a Carmichael number and let p be a prime number that divides n.

(a) Finish the proof of Korselt’s Criterion by proving that p − 1 divides n − 1. [Hint. We will prove
in Chapter 28 that for every prime p there is a number g whose powers g, g 2 , g 3 , · · · , g p−1 are
all different modulo p. (Such a number is called a primitive root.) Try putting a = g into the
Carmichael congruence an = a (mod n).]
n
(b) Prove that p − 1 actually divides the smaller number p − 1.

8. Are there any Carmichael numbers that have only two prime factors? Either find an example or
prove that none exists.
9. Use Korselt’s Criterion to determine which of the following numbers are Carmichael numbers.

(a) 1105 (b) 1235 (c) 2821 (d) 6601

(e) 8911 (f ) 10659 (g) 19747 (h) 105545
(i) 126217 (j) 162401 (k) 172081 (l) 188461

10. Suppose that k is chosen so that the three numbers are all prime numbers.

6k + 1, 12k + 1, 18k + 1

are all prime numbers.

(a) Prove that their product n = (6k + 1)(12k + 1)(18k + 1) is a Carmichael number.
(b) Find the first five values of k for which this method works and give the Carmichael numbers
produced by the method.

11. Find a Carmichael number that is the product of five primes.

12. (cmpt)

(a) Write a computer program that uses Korselt’s Criterion to check if a number n is a Carmichael
number.
(b) Earlier we listed all Carmichael numbers that are less than 10, 000. Use your program to extend
this list up to 100, 000.
(c) Use your program to find the smallest Carmichael number larger than 1, 000, 000.

13. (a) Let n = 1105, so n − 1 = 24 · 69. Compute the values of

269 (mod 1105), 22·59 (mod 1105), 24·59 (mod 1105), 28·69 (mod 1105),

and use the Rabin-Miller test to conclude that n is composite.

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 (b) Use the Rabin-Miller test with a = 2 to prove that n = 294409 is composite. Then find a
factorization of n and show that it is a Carmichael number.
(c) Repeat (b) with n = 118901521.

14. (cmpt) Program the Rabin-Miller test with multiprecision integers and use it to investigate which of
the following numbers are composite.

(a) 155196355420821961
(b) 155196355420821889
(c) 285707540662569884530199015485750433489
(d) 285707540662569884530199015485751094149