Science:Math Exam Resources/Courses/MATH312/December 2009/Question 02 (a)
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Question 02 (a) |
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Determine whether 209 passes Miller's test to the base 2. |
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Make sure you understand the problem fully: What is the question asking you to do? Are there specific conditions or constraints that you should take note of? How will you know if your answer is correct from your work only? Can you rephrase the question in your own words in a way that makes sense to you? |
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If you are stuck, check the hint below. Consider it for a while. Does it give you a new idea on how to approach the problem? If so, try it! |
Hint |
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Recall that 2 passes Miller's test if
or the following holds for some r
where and . If 2 passes the test, then 209 is a probable prime. If it fails the test, then the number is not prime. |
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Checking a solution serves two purposes: helping you if, after having used the hint, you still are stuck on the problem; or if you have solved the problem and would like to check your work.
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Solution |
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Recall that 2 passes Miller's test if
or for some value r
where and . If 2 fails the test, then 209 is not prime. For us, we see that and so d is 13 and r is 4. We compute manually.
and for the powers of 2,
and so the number 209 is not prime and 2 fails Miller's test. Thus 209 is composite. In fact . |
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