Number theoryDifficulty 5.2AIME, harderFind the answer
Does there exist an irrational number α>1 such that ⌊αn⌋≡0(mod2017) for all integers n≥1 ?
A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.
Solution
Yes. Let α>1 and 0<β<1 be the roots of x2−4035x+2017. Then note that ⌊αn⌋=αn+βn−1. Let xn=αn+βn for all nonnegative integers n. It's easy to verify that xn=4035xn−1−2017xn−2≡xn−1(mod2017) so since x1=4035≡1(mod2017) we have that xn≡1(mod2017) for all n. Thus α satisfies the problem.
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