Exercise 122Number theory › IrrationalityOlympiadAdded 3 Nov 2026
Fractional parts of multiples of √2
#fractional parts#density#irrational
Statement
Show that the set is dense in .
Hint
Use the pigeonhole principle: for any , the fractional parts of are points in , so two are within .
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Solution
Pigeonhole. Among (which are points in ), two differ by at most in fractional part. Say and with (taking absolute difference).
Density. Since is irrational, , and multiples of mod form a -dense set in .
Conclusion. For any , we get , so the set is dense.