Exercise 1331Number theory › Divisibility and gcdOlympiadAdded 5 Nov 2026
Infinitely many n dividing 2ⁿ + 1
#induction#lifting the exponent#infinitely many#factorisation
Statement
Prove that for every integer , . Deduce that satisfies , so there are infinitely many positive integers with .
Hint
Use induction and the factorisation with .
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Solution
Base case. : ✓.
Induction step. Assume , and let . Then
The first factor is divisible by . For the second, , so . Therefore divides the product.
Conclusion. So , in particular : with , . There are infinitely many such .
Check. : ✓.
Lesson. To gain one more power of a prime, factor and show that the cofactor is divisible by exactly once.