A sequence is defined by , and
a) Prove that for all positive integers .
b) Prove that if is the prime divisor of then is divisible by for all non-negative integers .
Solution
a) It is easy to find the general formula of , which is
Suppose that there exists that have common prime divisor . Clearly, . We have
implies that , which is a contradiction since .
b) Let be the prime divisor of . Clearly, so . By Fermat's little theorem,
Let be the smallest positive integer that . It is well-known that for all satisfying this condition, . Now, we obtain that satisfying that condition then , thus with . Suppose that then
which is a contradiction since . Therefore, we must get , which implies .
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