Fermat, a famous mathematician stated that all numbers in the form 2 2 n + 1 are prime. What is the smallest positive integer n for which this statement false? If you think there are no numbers, write 0.
This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try
refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and,
finally, (c)
loading the
non-javascript version of this page
. We're sorry about the hassle.
Yeah. Fermat Was WRONG....
Log in to reply
Of Course he was! BUT, any no. of the form ( 2 2 n + 1 ) i s n o w called as a F e r m a t N u m b e r ⋅
P . S . By NOW I mean after it was disproved by Leonhard Euler.
Hard to believe but he was wrong
How do you prove so?
Funny thing is that priest-mathematician guy was truer than Fermat. Mersenne numbers are much more abundant than Fermat's.In fact if I remember correctly for 5 ≤ n ≤ 2 2 has been proven than none of Fermat's numbers are prime.Fermat was one of the greatest mathematicians of his age yet lacked then sense of proving things.I've read in a book that when he stated that all Fermat's numbers (or so as we call them now) are primes,he felt ashamed of not being able to prove it himself.Yet, the grandmaster Euler proved him wrong.Euler is the devil himself ...
After a lot of research, finally i realized that it is 5 . This proof was given by Euler.He stated that it if 5 is put in place of n, then the resultant value, i.e., 4 2 9 4 9 6 7 2 9 7 = 6 4 1 X 6 7 0 0 4 1 7 , and that beats Fermat!
hey is there any alternate method of doing this without placing the values @Swapnil Das
Log in to reply
Unfortunately no, you may discover one!
Log in to reply
Or may be that method has something to do with complex stuff like multivariable calculus and all.
How is 2 2 5 + 1 = 4 2 9 4 9 6 7 2 9 7
Note that 6 4 1 = 5 4 + 2 4 = 5 × 2 7 + 1 . Then F 5 = 2 3 2 + 1 ≡ 1 − 2 2 8 × 5 4 ≡ 1 − ( 5 × 2 7 ) 4 ≡ 1 − ( − 1 ) 4 ≡ 0 ( m o d 6 4 1 ) and hence F 5 is not prime.
Is there any other way to solve this question irrespective of putting values one by one..??
You have to show that 641 divides it
I think this question is more one of mathematical trivia, rather than application.
See my proof...
Problem Loading...
Note Loading...
Set Loading...
The question is bit informative , we know that
2 2 n + 1 is prime for n ∈ {0,1,2,3,4} and for n ∈ [ 5 , 3 2 ] , it has been proven that 2 2 n is NOT prime.