IMO 1964 · Problem 1

(a) Find all positive integers \(n\) for which \(2^n - 1\) is divisible by 7.

(b) Prove that there is no positive integer \(n\) for which \(2^n + 1\) is divisible by 7.

Official text of the problem. Official problem paper (PDF)

Answer

(a) All positive multiples of \(3\): \(n=3,6,9,\ldots\).

(b) No such positive integer exists.

Solution

For any positive integer \(n\), the division algorithm gives \[ n=3q+r,\qquad q\geq 0,\quad r\in\{0,1,2\}. \] Since \(2^3=8\equiv 1\pmod 7\), we have \[ 2^n=8^q2^r\equiv 2^r\pmod 7. \] Thus \[ 2^n\equiv \begin{cases} 1\pmod 7,&r=0,\\ 2\pmod 7,&r=1,\\ 4\pmod 7,&r=2. \end{cases} \]

(a) The number \(2^n-1\) is divisible by \(7\) exactly when \(2^n\equiv1\pmod7\). By the three cases above, this holds exactly when \(r=0\), or equivalently when \(3\mid n\). Hence the required integers are precisely the positive multiples of \(3\).

(b) If \(2^n+1\) were divisible by \(7\), then \(2^n\equiv-1\equiv6\pmod7\). But the only possible residues of \(2^n\) modulo \(7\) are \(1,2,4\). Therefore no such positive integer exists.

The solution was checked against John Scholes' IMO solution archive (Kalva).