Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)

The product of three consecutive integers is divisible by

  1. ×

    5

  2. 6

  3. ×

    7

  4. ×

    8

Collected in the board: Number Theory

Steven Zheng posted 1 year ago

Answer

  1. Let the three consecutive numbers be 3n-1, 3n,3n+1

    Then the product of the three numbers will be

    (3n-1)\cdot3n\cdot (3n+1)

    =3n(9n^2-1)

    Obviously 3n(9n^2-1) is divisible by 3 and it's also an even number. Why?

    if n is an even number, our claim is true.

    If n is an odd number, then n^2 is also an odd number. 9 is odd. The product of two odd numbers is still an odd number. However, if subtract 1 from the odd number, then the difference is even.

    So in both cases, 3n(9n^2-1) is even.

    Therefore, the product of three consecutive integers is divisible by 6.

Steven Zheng posted 1 year ago

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