Divide Everything!

What is the largest integer that is a divisor of ( n + 1 ) ( n + 3 ) ( n + 5 ) ( n + 7 ) ( n + 9 ) (n+1)(n+3)(n+5)(n+7)(n+9) for all positive, even integers n ? n?


The answer is 15.

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2 solutions

Aareyan Manzoor
Nov 18, 2015

i claim that 3 and 5 are the only prime factors. we can check wether it is truth by putting x 1 , 2 , 0 ( m o d 3 ) x\equiv 1,2,0\pmod{3} or x 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 0 ( m o d 5 ) x\equiv 1,2,3,4,0\pmod{5} and see that it is fulfiled, that case 15 will be the largest divisor. again, as x is even, the expression will be odd implying the exists no even factor. how do we know if there exist no other factors. let the other factor be N where N is an odd integer ≠ 1,3,5,15. then ( x + 1 ) ( x + 3 ) ( x + 5 ) ( x + 7 ) ( x + 9 ) 0 ( m o d N ) (x+1)(x+3)(x+5)(x+7)(x+9)\equiv 0 \pmod{N} for this to be true over ALL x, it needs to be true for all modulo. so we just put the case x 1 ( m o d N ) x\equiv 1\pmod{N} : 2 4 6 8 10 2 7 3 5 0 ( m o d N ) 2*4*6*8*10\equiv 2^7*3*5\equiv 0 \pmod{N} the modulo implies that N is either even, 1,3 ,5 or15. but it contradicts our original statement. hence the largest divisor is 15 \boxed{15} -contradiction, hence proofed.

Since n is an even number there is a number finishing at 5 between (n+1), (n+3), (n+5), (n+7) and (n+9) \Rightarrow 5 divides its product and 3 also divides ( n + 1 ) ( n + 3 ) ( n + 5 ) ( n + 7 ) ( n + 9 ) (n+1) \cdot (n+3) \cdot (n+5) \cdot (n+7) \cdot (n+9) because 3 divides one only number between (n+1), (n+3) and (n+5) (n is an even number) \Rightarrow

gcd ( ( 11 13 15 17 19 11 \cdot 13 \cdot 15 \cdot 17 \cdot 19 ) ,( 21 23 25 27 29 21 \cdot 23 \cdot 25 \cdot 27 \cdot 29 )) = 15 \ge gcd( ( n + 1 ) ( n + 3 ) ( n + 5 ) ( n + 7 ) ( n + 9 ) (n+1) \cdot (n+3) \cdot (n+5) \cdot (n+7) \cdot (n+9) , for each positive even integer n) \ge lcm(3,5)=15 \Rightarrow 15 = gcd( ( n + 1 ) ( n + 3 ) ( n + 5 ) ( n + 7 ) ( n + 9 ) (n+1) \cdot (n+3) \cdot (n+5) \cdot (n+7) \cdot (n+9) , for each positive even integer n) \Rightarrow 15 is the largest divisor of ( n + 1 ) ( n + 3 ) ( n + 5 ) ( n + 7 ) ( n + 9 ) (n+1) \cdot (n+3) \cdot (n+5) \cdot (n+7) \cdot (n+9) for each positive even integer n.

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