SOLUTIONS TO TEST 5 - NOVEMBER 13

Exercise 1. For every integer n ≥ 0, let σ(n) be the sum of the positive divisors
of n.
(a) Find all positive integers n with σ(n) = 48.
(b) Find all positive integers n with σ(n) = 84.
Proof. (a) Let n be such that σ(n) = 48, let p be the largest prime divisor of n,
and write n = pa m for some m not divisible by p and some a ≥ 1. We have
σ(pa )σ(m) = (1 + p + · · · + pa )σ(m) = 48.
Assume first that a = 1. Then 1 + p is a divisor of 48, hence
p + 1 ∈ {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48},
that is,
p ∈ {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 23, 47}.
We now consider each case separately, using that σ(m) = 48/(p + 1) and σ(m) ≥
m + 1.
• If p = 47, then σ(m) = 1, hence m = 1 and n = 47.
• If p = 23, then σ(m) = 2, which has no solutions.
• If p = 11, then σ(m) = 4, which implies m = 3, and so n = 33. If p = 7,
then σ(m) = 6, which implies m = 5 and n = 35.
• If p = 5, then σ(m) = 8, which implies m = 7, impossible because p is the
largest prime divisor of n.
• If p = 3, then n = 3 · 2b , which implies σ(2b ) = 12, that is, 2b+1 − 1 = 12,
which is impossible.
• If p = 2, then n = 2, which is not a solution.
Assume now that a ≥ 2. Then we must have 1 + p + p2 < 48, hence p ∈ {2, 3, 5}.
• If p = 5, then a ≥ 3 is impossible because 1 + 5 + 52 + 53 > 48, and a = 2
is impossible because 1 + 5 + 52 = 31 does not divide 48.
• If p = 3, then a ≥ 4 is impossible because 1 + 3 + 32 + 33 + 34 > 48, a = 3
is impossible because 1 + 3 + 9 + 27 = 40 does not divide 48, and a = 2 is
also impossible because 1 + 3 + 9 = 13 does not divide 48.
• If p = 2, then n = 2a , hence σ(2a ) = 2a+1 − 1 = 48, which is impossible.
Thus the only solutions are n = 33, 35, 47.
(b) One can run an argument similar to that of (a). The solutions are n =
44, 65, 83. 
Exercise 2. Let Mn = 2n − 1 be the n-th Mersenne number.
(a) Prove that if Mn is prime, then so is n.
(b) Determine whether or not M11 = 211 − 1 is prime, using the fact that for a
prime p any divisor of Mp must be of form 2kp + 1 for k a positive integer.
Proof. (a) First solution. Assume that n = ab, where 1 < b < n. We have
2b ≡ 1 (mod 2b − 1),
1
2 SOLUTIONS TO TEST 5 - NOVEMBER 13

thus
2n = (2b )a ≡ 1a ≡ 1 (mod 2b − 1).
Since 1 < b < n, we have 1 < 2b − 1 < 2n − 1. It follows that 2b − 1 is a divisor of
2n − 1 different from 1 and 2n − 1, that is, Mn is not prime.
Second solution. Assume that n = ab, where a, b > 1. We have
a−1
X
2n − 1 = (2b )a − 1 = (2b − 1) 2bi .
i=0

Since a, b > 1, both factors are greater √

than 1, hence Mn is composite.
(b) One easily checks by hand that 211 − 1 < 47 (square both sides, then use
211 = 2048 and compute 472 ). Any prime divisor of M11 must be of the form
22k + 1, for k > 0. Thus the only possibility is 23. In fact, one may check that
211 − 1 = 2047 = 23 · 89. Thus 211 − 1 is not prime. 
Exercise 3. (a) For all positive integers a and n show that a ≡ a4n+1 (mod 10).
(b) Find all positive integers such that φ(n) = 12 and prove that there are no
others. Here φ is the Euler φ-function.
Proof. (a) We have
a ≡ a4n+1 (mod 2)
for all a and n (it suffices to check it for a = 0, 1). On the other hand, the equation
a ≡ a4n+1 (mod 5)
is certainly satisfied if a is divisible by 5, and it is also satisfied if a is not divisible
by 5, because in that case a4 ≡ 1 (mod 5) by Fermat’s Little Theorem. By the
Chinese Remainder Theorem, we conclude that the original congruence is always
satisfied.
(b) Write n = pa m, where p is the largest prime dividing n, a ≥ 1 is an integer,
and m is not divisible by p. Then
φ(n) = φ(pa )φ(m) = (p − 1)pa−1 φ(m) = 12.
It follows that pa (p − 1) must divide 12, hence
p ∈ {2, 3, 5, 7, 13},
and if p = 5, 7, 13 then a = 1. We consider each case separately.
• Assume that p = 13. Then a = 1 and φ(m) = 1, which implies m = 1, 2.
We obtain the solutions n = 13, 26.
• Assume that p = 7. Then a = 1 and φ(m) = 2, hence m = 3, 4, 6. We get
the solutions n = 21, 28, 42.
• Assume that p = 5. Then a = 1 and φ(m) = 3, which has no solutions, as
φ(m) is even unless m = 2.
• Assume that p = 3. Then we may write n = 3a · 2b for some b ≥ 0. If b ≥ 1,
then
n
12 = φ(n) = 2 · 3a−1 · 2b−1 = 3a−1 · 2b = ,
3
which implies n = 36. If b = 0, then
12 = φ(3b ) = 2 · 3b−1 ,
which has no solutions.
 SOLUTIONS TO TEST 5 - NOVEMBER 13 3

• Assume that p1 = 2. Then n = 2a , and so

φ(n) = 2a−1 = 12,
which is impossible.
Thus the only solutions are n = 13, 21, 26, 28, 36, 42. 
Exercise 4. Let n ≥ 0 be an integer, and assume that φ(x) = n for some odd
positive integer x. Then there exists a positive integer y 6= x such that φ(y) = n.
Proof. Let y := 2x. Since φ(2) = 1 and x is odd, we have
φ(y) = φ(2)φ(x) = φ(x). 
√
Exercise 5. If n is composite, prove that φ(n) ≤ n − n.
Proof.
√ We may write n = ab, where a > b > 1 are coprime integers. We have a ≥
n, as otherwise ab ≤ a2 < n. Recall that for every m ≥ 1 we have φ(m) ≤ m − 1.
Then, since a and b are coprime, we have
√ √
φ(n) = φ(a)φ(b) ≤ (a − 1)(b − 1) = ab − a − b + 1 ≤ n − n − b + 1 ≤ n − n.