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Difference between revisions of "2000 PMWC Problems/Problem I2"

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Latest revision as of 11:02, 23 December 2019

Problem

As far as we know, the greatest prime number is $2^{6972593}-1$. What is the remainder when $2^{6972593}-1$ is divided by $5$?

Solution

Since the question only asks for the remainder when this monstrous number is divided by 5, we can use some tricks to reduce this number.

Specifically, since $2^4 = 16$, and 16 has a remainder of 1 when divided by 5, all of the $2^4$s within $2^{6972593}$ can be divided out. Another way of explaining that step is that if you split $2^{6972593}$ into as many factors of 16 as you could and had whatever was left on the side, you could remove all of the $16$s because multiplying a number by $16$ is multiplying it by $(3 * 5) + 1$, and so will not change its remainder when divided by $5$. Applying this logic to $2^{6972593}$, we find that it simplifies to $2^1$, leaving $2^1 - 1$, which is clearly just $1$.

Thus the remainder is $1$.

See Also

Back to test: https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/2000_PMWC_Problems

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