Problem:
A large integer is divisible by all the integers between and inclusive, except for two consecutive integers. Determine those two consecutive integers.
Solution
Solution:
The two numbers must be and .
First, note that if a number is not a power of a prime, then it has two smaller factors and that are relatively prime and multiply to . Thus, is the least common multiple of and . Then, any multiple of both and must also be a multiple of , so any multiple of all the numbers less than would have to be a multiple of (since two of the numbers less than are and ). Thus, for there to be some number that is a multiple of all the numbers less than but not itself, must be a prime power. Therefore, both consecutive numbers are prime powers.
Note also that if is at most , then . Thus, if we chose one of the consecutive numbers to be , the big number would have to be a multiple of , and therefore also of . Thus, this cannot happen, so both numbers must be more than . The only pair of consecutive numbers from to that are both prime powers is and , so this must be the answer.