Problem:
Determine the minimal prime number for which no natural number satisfies
, 2008
Solution
Solution:
We put . From Fermat's little theorem, we have and , from which we conclude . Therefore, after steps at most, we will have repetition of the power. It means that in order to determine the minimal prime number we seek, it is enough to determine a complete set of remainders such that , for every .
For and we have .
For and we have .
For and we have .
For and we have .
For and we have .
For we have , for all .
Hence the minimal value of is .
Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track
puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.