MTH6128 Number Theory

Assignment 2 For handing in on 28 January 2019

Attempt as many questions as you can, and submit your solution to

two of the questions. Submit your solution in groups of two to four
students.
Write your names, student numbers and tutorial time at the top of
your assignment before handing it in. Staple all the pages together.
Place the assignment in the coursework box No 19 located at the
Maths reception area in the Queen’s Building before 14:00 on
Monday.

1 Which of the following are quadratic integers? Explain!

√
5+ 11
(a) 2
,
√
7+ 13 1
(b) 2
− 11 ,
√
(c) 5 + 229 − 52 .
√ √
2 (a) Suppose d is squarefree. √ Show that for α, β √ ∈ Q( d) = {u + √ v d :
u, v ∈ Q} that α − β ∈ Q( d) and α · β ∈ Q( d), i.e. show Q( d) is
closed under
√ subtraction and multiplication. Also show that every element
√
α ∈ Q( d) has a multiplicative inverse i.e. show
√ there exists β ∈ Q( d)
such that α · β = 1. (Note this implies that Q( d) is a field.)
(b) Suppose d ≡ 1 (mod 4) is squarefree. Show that
" √ !# ( √ ! )
1+ d 1+ d
Z = u+v : u, v ∈ Z
2 2
h √ i √ √
is a ring. (Hint: Since Z 1+2 d ⊂ Q( d) and Q( d) a field by
h √ i h √ i
1+ d
part a), you need to show: i) Z 2
contains 1; ii) Z 1+2 d is

1
 h √ i
closed under subtraction which means that for α, β ∈ Z 1+2 d that
h √ i h √ i
α − β ∈ Z 1+2 d ; and iii) Z 1+2 d is closed under multiplication,
h √ i h √ i
which means α · β ∈ Z 1+2 d for α, β ∈ Z 1+2 d . )

61
3 (a) Use Euclid’s algorithm to find the continued fraction expansion for 51
.

(b) Given the continued fraction [2; 7, 1, 1, 7] compute p4 and q4 use this to
calculate [2; 7, 1, 1, 7].

4 (a) Let α = [a0 ; a1 , a2 , . . . , an ], where a0 , . . . , an are positive integers.

(i) Show that α = a0 + 1/[a1 ; a2 , . . . , an ] if n > 0.

(ii) Show that a0 ≤ α ≤ a0 + 1.

(b) Now let β = [b0 ; b1 , b2 , . . . , bm ], where b0 , . . . , bm are positive integers. Sup-

pose that ai = bi for i = 0, . . . , k − 1 and ak < bk . (Note that we do not
assume that m = n, or that k = n.) Prove that

• if k is even, then α ≤ β;
• if k is odd, then β ≤ α.

[Hint: Induction on k; but remember that, going from k to k + 1, the

inequality you are proving reverses!]