Exercise: Methods of Proof

Instructor: Daniel Bezalel A. Garcia

GE 007: Mathematics in the Modern World

October 27, 2020

Direction: Provide a clean and complete proof (if possible) for each of the fol-
lowing statements. Make sure that your solutions are your own and that you did
not solely depend on the answers available online.This not recorded.

1. For every integer integers n, if n is positive, then n2 + n + 1 is composite.

COUNTEREXAMPLE:
This statement is false. There exist a positive integer n such that n2 + n + 1 is
not a composite. Take n = 1, then
n2 + n + 1 = (1)2 + 1 + 1 = 3, 3 is not a composite number
2. If n and m are two consecutive integers, then n2 − m2 is an odd integer.

DIRECT PROOF:

Proof. Let n and m be any two consecutive integers.

Case 1: n > m. Let m = k and n = k + 1, for some k ∈ Z. Then,
n2 − m2 = (k + 1)2 − k 2 = k 2 + 2k + 1 − k 2 = 2k + 1
2k + 1 is an odd by the definition of odd numbers.
Case 2: m > n. Let m = k + 1 and n = k, for some k ∈ Z. Then,
n2 − m2 = k 2 − (k + 1)2 = k 2 − k 2 − 2k − 1 = −2k − 1 = −(2k + 1)
−(2k+1) is an odd by the definition of odd numbers (by extending the definition
of oddness and evenness in negative integers). Hence, n2 −m2 is always odd.

3. If n is an odd integer and m is an even integer, then n − m is odd.

DIRECT PROOF:

1
Proof. Let n be an odd integer and m be an even integer, that is, n = 2k + 1
and m = 2j, for some k, j ∈ Z. Then taking the difference n − m,
n − m = (2k + 1) − 2j = 2k − 2j + 1 = (2k − 2j) + 1 = 2(k − j) + 1
Take note that k − j = k + (−j) is an integer by the closure property of the
usual addition under integers. Hence, n − m is an odd by the definition of odd
numbers.

POSSIBLE PROOFS
INDIRECT PROOF:

Proof. Assume that n − m is an even. Then n − m = 2k, for some k ∈ Z.

Case 1:
n − m = 2k + 2j − 2j, for some j ∈ Z
Then,
n − m = (2k + 2j) − 2j = 2(k + j) − 2j
This implies that n and m are both even integers.
Case 2:
n − m = 2k + (2j + 1) − (2j + 1), for some j ∈ Z
Then,
n − m = 2k + (2j + 1) − (2j + 1) = (2k + 2j + 1) − (2j + 1) = 2(k + j) − 2j
Still, this implies that n and m are both even integers.

PROOF BY CONTRADICTION (1):

Proof. Suppose that n is an odd integer and m is an even integer and n − m is

even. If n − m is even, then it can be written as n − m = 2k, for some k ∈ Z.
Case 1:
n − m = 2k = 2k + 2j − 2j = (2k + 2j) − 2j = 2(k + j) − 2j, for some j ∈ Z
This implies that n and m are both even which is a contradiction from our
assumption that n is odd.
..
.
Hence, it must be the case that n − m is odd.

2
 PROOF BY CONTRADICTION (2)

Proof. Suppose that n is an odd integer and m is an even integer and n − m

is even. Then, n = 2k + 1 and m = 2j, for some k, j ∈ Z. Substituting these
values in n − m
n − m = (2k + 1) − 2j = 2k − 2j + 1 = (2k − 2j) + 1 = 2(k − j) + 1
This implies that n − m is an odd integer which is a contradiction from our
assumption that n − m is even. Hence, it must be that case that n − m is
odd.

4. The product of an even integer and an odd integer is an even integer.

DIRECT PROOF:

Proof. Let n be an even integer and m be an odd integer, that is, n = 2k and
m = 2j + 1, for some k, j ∈ Z. Taking the product,
n · m = (2k)(2j + 1) = 4kj + 2k = 2(2kj + k)
Take note that 2kj + k is an integer by the closure property of usual addition
and usual multiplication under integers. Hence, n · m is even by the definition
of even integers.

PROOF BY CONTRADICTION:

Proof. Suppose that the product of an even integer and an odd integer is an
odd integer, that is, let n = 2k and m = 2j + 1, for some k, j ∈ Z, then
n · m = (2k)(2j + 1) = 4kj + 2k = 2(2kj + k)
Take note that 2kj + k is an integer by the closure property of usual addition
and usual multiplication under integers. This implies that n · m is even by the
definition of even integers which is a contradiction from our assumption that
that product is odd. Hence, it must be that case that n · m is even.

Prepared by:

Daniel Bezalel A. Garcia

Instructor I, Math & NatSci Dept.