Exercise 742Number theory › Divisibility and gcdHigh schoolAdded 2 Nov 2026
When are $2n$ and $3n+1$ coprime?
#divisibility#linear combination#coprimality
Statement
For which integers are and coprime?
Hint
Find a linear combination of and that is constant.
Show solutionHide solution
Solution
Linear combination.
So divides , hence .
When is ? Since is always even, iff is even, i.e. is odd.
Conclusion. if is even, and if is odd. The numbers are coprime exactly when is even.