Prove there are no integers x,y such that x2+y2=7,000,000. (Hint: \pmod7)
I'm a little stuck on this problem. I'm assuming the hint is to arrange the problem as x^2+y^2\equiv0\pmod7, but I can't find anything that will let me proceed from there. I'm considering a proof by contradiction where I would assume there are such integers, come to a contradiction after a little hand waving and conclude that there are no such integers. I've been searching online and reading through my textbook but I can't seem to find anything useful.
If you know of any modulo theorems that would get me rolling here, that would be fantastic.
Answer
You can list the squares mod 7 -- you just need to check what 0^2, 1^2, 2^2, and 3^2 are (since 4^2 \equiv (-3)^2 = 3^2, etc.). Then you can check what combinations of them add up to 0. Proceed from there.
No comments:
Post a Comment