KOO
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Prove that every n E N can be written as a product of odd integer and a non-negative integer power of 2.
For instance: 36 = 22 * 9
For instance: 36 = 22 * 9
The discussion centers on whether every natural number can be expressed as a product of an odd integer and a non-negative integer power of 2. The scope includes mathematical reasoning and proof techniques.
Participants express differing views on the sufficiency of the arguments presented, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved regarding the completeness of the proof for the claim.
Some assumptions about the definitions of odd integers and powers of 2 are implicit in the discussion. The completeness of the proof and the application of strong induction are not fully explored.
KOO said:Prove that every n E N can be written as a product of odd integer and a non-negative integer power of 2.
For instance: 36 = 22 * 9
This is not enough to prove the required claim.Prove It said:If n is odd, we can write it as \displaystyle \begin{align*} n = n \cdot 2^0 \end{align*}.
If n is even (including 0), it must have a factor of 2, so we can write it as \displaystyle \begin{align*} n = 2^1 k \end{align*}.
What about powers of 2? 2^k (k being a positive integer) has no odd factors, unless you want to include 1.KOO said:Prove that every n E N can be written as a product of odd integer and a non-negative integer power of 2.
For instance: 36 = 22 * 9
Well, we want to include 1. Thus, if $k$ is a nonnegative integer, then $2^k=1\cdot2^k$: here 1 is an odd integer and $2^k$ is a non-negative integer power of 2, so this factorization satisfies the problem statement.topsquark said:What about powers of 2? 2^k (k being a positive integer) has no odd factors, unless you want to include 1.