Section Check In – 1.

01 Proof
Questions
x −1
1.* f ( x ) = 2 x + 1 and g ( x ) = . Show that gf ( x) = x .
2

2.* Show that the sum of all even numbers less than or equal to 100 is divisible by 51 .
[You may find the arithmetic series results helpful.]

3. Prove by exhaustion that, in the set of natural numbers less than 50, there are fewer square
numbers than prime numbers.

4. Let p be a prime number such that 2  p  50 . Prove, by exhaustion, that for all such p,
( p − 1)( p + 1) is divisible by 8 .
5. The following result is known as the “difference of two squares”
( a2 − b2 ) = ( a + b)( a − b) .
(
Find and prove a similar formula for the difference of two cubes a3 − b3 . )
6. Prove that n − 3 is even if and only if n is odd.

a
7.* (i) Find a counter example to disprove the conjecture that curves of the form y = +c
x +b
2

do not cross the x-axis.

(ii) Find a counter example to disprove the conjecture that an asymptote cannot be touched
or crossed by a curve by considering rational functions of the form
ax 2 + bx
f ( x) = where n  2 .
xn + 1
To find this counter example you will need to choose constants a , b and n , and are
recommended to solve f ( x ) = 0 and to explore the behaviour of this curve as x →  .

8.* Prove by contradiction that the curves y = x 4 + 7 x 2 + 5 and y = x 2 do not cross.

9. A new hotel is to be built and will have a cylindrical swimming pool.

Given that the pool’s tiled surface area will be 225 m2 show that its maximum volume is
approximately 366 m3.

10.* (i) Prove by contradiction that for any integer n  1 , n and n + 1 do not have a prime factor
in common.
(ii) Explain why this implies that n(n + 1) must have at least two distinct prime factors.
(iii) What can you conclude about the number of distinct prime factors which
n ( n + 1)  n ( n + 1) + 1 has?
[This was the basis of Filip Saidak’s proof of the infinity of primes in 2005.]

Version 1 1 © OCR 2017

Extension

If the circle ( x − a ) + ( y − b ) = r 2 and the line y = mx + c do not meet, prove that

2 2

( )
m2 r 2 − a 2 + 2am ( b − c ) + 2bc − b 2 − c 2 + r 2  0 .

Version 1 2 © OCR 2017

Worked solutions

1. gf ( x) =
( 2 x + 1) − 1 = x
2

2. a=2
n = 50
( 2 ( 2 ) + ( 49 ) 2 )
50
S50 =
2
= 2550 = 50×51
Therefore the sum of all even numbers less than or equal to 100 is divisible by 51 .

3. Proof by exhaustion:
All square numbers less than 50 are 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49
All prime numbers less than 50 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47
Therefore there are fewer squares than primes.

4. Proof by exhaustion:

2(4) = 8
4(6) = 24 = 3(8)
6(8)
10(12) = 15(8)
12(14) = 21(8)
16(18) = 36(8)
18(20) = 45(8)
22(24) = 66(8)
28(30) = 105(8)
30(32) = 120(8)
36(38) = 171(8)
40(42) = 210(8)
42(44) = 231(8)
46(48) = 276(8)

Therefore the product of the two numbers adjacent, at either side, of the low primes ( < 50 ) is
divisible by 8 .

Version 1 3 © OCR 2017

5. (a 3
) (
− b3 = ( a − b ) a 2 + ab + b2 )
Proof:

(
RHS = ( a − b ) a 2 + ab + b 2 )
= a3 + a2b + ab2 − ba2 − ab2 − b3
= a3 − b3
= LHS

Hence proven.

6. Need  and  for if and only if proofs.

Therefore, initially need to prove that n − 3 is even  n is odd.

Now n − 3 is even so n − 3 = 2a for a   .

So n = 2a + 3 = 2a + 2 + 1 = 2 ( a + 1) + 1 .
2 ( a + 1) is divisible by 2 and is therefore even.
Hence 2 ( a + 1) + 1 = n is therefore odd.

Now need to prove that n odd  n − 3 is even.

If n odd then n = b + 1 for b even.

So n − 3 = b + 1 − 3 = b − 2 .
Now b is even b is divisible by 2 and −2 = 2 ( −1) is also divisible by 2 .
So n − 3 is divisible by 2 and is therefore even.

Therefore n − 3 is even if and only if n is odd.

7. (i) You could use a graphing tool such as www.desmos.com or a graphical calculator to
search for your counter example and/or to check that your example is a true counter
example with a curve which crosses the x-axis.

For instance,

−10
f ( x) = +1
x2 + 3

f(x)
1

x
0
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15
-1

-2

-3

Version 1 4 © OCR 2017

 (ii) You could use a graphing tool such as www.desmos.com or a graphical calculator to
search for your counter example and/or to check that your example is a true counter
example with an asymptote which is also crossed by the curve itself.

2 x 2 + 3x
For instance, f ( x ) =
x3 + 1
3 f(x)
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-10 -8 -6 -4 -2-0.5 0 2 4 6 8 10 x
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3

8. Suppose the curves cross.

At the crossing points, x4 + 7 x2 + 5 = x2 .
x4 + 6 x2 + 5 = 0
( )(
x2 + 5 x2 + 1 = 0 )
x2 = −5 or x2 = −1 but there are no real values of x for either of these. So the original
assumption that the curves cross must be untrue. The curves do not cross.

Volume is r h
2
9.
Surface area is  r 2 + 2 rh = 225

225 −  r 2  225 −  r 2  225 

So h = and V =  r 2  = r − r3
2 r  2 r  2 2

dV dV 225 3 2
For the maximum volume we need = 0 , i.e. = − r =0
dr dr 2 2

225
So r =
3
Substituting this into our equations for h and V gives V = 366.45... m3.

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10. (i) Suppose n and n + 1 have a prime factor, p, in common.
n = sp
n + 1 = tp where s and t are integers.

Subtracting, 1 = p ( t − s ) where each of p and ( t − s ) are integers but 1 only has itself
as a factor so this is a contraction.

Hence, n and n + 1 cannot have a prime factor, p, in common.

(ii) Each of n and n + 1 have at least one prime factor and these are not the same.

(iii)  n ( n + 1) + 1 is 1 more than n ( n + 1) and so has no prime factor in common with
n ( n + 1) .
n ( n + 1) has at least two prime factors so n ( n + 1)  n ( n + 1) + 1 has at least three prime
factors.

Extension

(x − a )2 + ( y − b )2 = r 2 and y = mx + c

(x − a )2 + (mx + c − b )2 = r 2

x 2 + a 2 − 2ax + ( mx + c ) + b 2 − 2b ( mx + c ) = r 2
2

( )
 x 2 1 + m2 + x ( 2cm − 2bm − 2a ) + a 2 + b 2 + c 2 − r 2 − 2bc = 0

If circle and line do not meet then B2 − 4 AC  0

Which leads to ( 2mc − 2a − 2bm ) − 4 + 4m2

2
( )( a 2
)
+ b 2 + c 2 − r 2 − 2bc  0

( )
Hence to m2 r 2 − a 2 + 2am ( b − c ) + 2bc − b 2 − c 2 + r 2  0 . Which is proven.

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