What is the remainder when the following sum is divided by 4?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the remainder when the sum of the fifth powers of the first 100 integers is divided by 4. The problem involves concepts from number theory and modular arithmetic.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore cases based on whether integers are even or odd, examining their contributions to the sum modulo 4. There are discussions about the divisibility of the sum by 100 and potential methods for calculating the remainder.

Discussion Status

Participants have provided various insights and approaches, including the use of modulo arithmetic. Some express uncertainty about the uniqueness of the solution, while others suggest that there may be multiple methods to arrive at the answer.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of the sum being divisible by 100 and 2500, but the implications of this are not fully explored. Some participants question the clarity of the case distinctions made in the original proof.

Math100
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Homework Statement
What is the remainder when the following sum is divided by ## 4 ##?
## 1^{5}+2^{5}+3^{5}+\dotsb +99^{5}+100^{5} ##
Relevant Equations
None.
Let ## n ## be an integer.
Now we consider two cases.
Case #1: Suppose ## n ## is even.
Then ## n=2k ## for some ## k\in\mathbb{N} ##.
Thus ## n^{5}=(2k)^{5}=32k^{5}\equiv 0 \pmod 4 ##.
Case #2: Suppose ## n ## is odd.
Then ## n=4k+1 ## or ## n=4k+3 ## for some ## k\in\mathbb{N} ##.
Thus ## (4k+1)^{5}+(4k+3)^{5}\equiv 1^{5}+(-1)^{5} \pmod 4\equiv 1+(-1) \pmod 4\equiv 0 \pmod 4 ##.
Note that ## 1^{5}+2^{5}+3^{5}+\dotsb +99^{5}+100^{5}=[(1^{5}+3^{5})+(5^{5}+7^{5})+\dotsb +(97^{5}+99^{5})]+(2^{5}+4^{5}+\dotsb +98^{5}+100^{5})\equiv (0+0) \pmod 4\equiv 0 \pmod 4 ##.
Therefore, the remainder of ## 1^{5}+2^{5}+3^{5}+\dotsb +99^{5}+100^{5} ## when divided by ## 4 ## is ## 0 ##.
 
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Math100 said:
Homework Statement:: What is the remainder when the following sum is divided by ## 4 ##?
## 1^{5}+2^{5}+3^{5}+\dotsb +99^{5}+100^{5} ##
Relevant Equations:: None.

Let ## n ## be an integer.
Now we consider two cases.
Case #1: Suppose ## n ## is even.
Then ## n=2k ## for some ## k\in\mathbb{N} ##.
Thus ## n^{5}=(2k)^{5}=32k^{5}\equiv 0 \pmod 4 ##.
Case #2: Suppose ## n ## is odd.
Then ## n=4k+1 ## or ## n=4k+3 ## for some ## k\in\mathbb{N} ##.
Thus ## (4k+1)^{5}+(4k+3)^{5}\equiv 1^{5}+(-1)^{5} \pmod 4\equiv 1+(-1) \pmod 4\equiv 0 \pmod 4 ##.
Note that ## 1^{5}+2^{5}+3^{5}+\dotsb +99^{5}+100^{5}=[(1^{5}+3^{5})+(5^{5}+7^{5})+\dotsb +(97^{5}+99^{5})]+(2^{5}+4^{5}+\dotsb +98^{5}+100^{5})\equiv (0+0) \pmod 4\equiv 0 \pmod 4 ##.
Therefore, the remainder of ## 1^{5}+2^{5}+3^{5}+\dotsb +99^{5}+100^{5} ## when divided by ## 4 ## is ## 0 ##.
I would replace the last ##=## sign by ##\equiv## to stay in the same domain ##\mathbb{Z}_4## but this is nitpicking. Your proof is fine as it is.

I have looked up the sum and it is divisible by 100. There could be more than one solution, but I don't see it immediately.
 
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fresh_42 said:
I have looked up the sum and it is divisible by 100.
It's divisible by 2,500 but I'm not sure that helps.
fresh_42 said:
There could be more than one solution, but I don't see it immediately.
There can only be one solution: the unique remainder. Do you mean more than one method for calculating the solution? You could derive the closed form for ## \Sigma_1^n k^5 ## but that would not be quite as easy.
 
pbuk said:
There can only be one solution: the unique remainder. Do you mean more than one method for calculating the solution?
Sure.
pbuk said:
You could derive the closed form for ## \Sigma_1^n k^5 ## but that would not be quite as easy.
I thought there must be a trick to see that 100 divides the sum without calculating too many steps.
 
$$
\dfrac{\sum_{k=1}^N k^5}{\sum_{k=1}^N k}=\dfrac{1}{6}N (N + 1) (2 N^2 + 2 N - 1)=\dfrac{1}{3} (-N^2 - N)^2 + \dfrac{1}{6} (-N^2 - N)
$$
is a nice formula. And we all know the result of ##\sum_{k=1}^{100} k## because of this anecdote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Friedrich_Gauss#Anecdotes
 
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Very good proof using modulo arithmetic and the fact that an integer can be even or odd. And of course at the end the pairing of terms which reminds of the Gauss anecdote.
 
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No conclusion about n is drawn in Case 2. Since you are not doing a proof by cases, you really shouldn't write "Case 1" and "Case 2".
 
Prof B said:
No conclusion about n is drawn in Case 2. Since you are not doing a proof by cases, you really shouldn't write "Case 1" and "Case 2".
I think it's ok. Maybe, he should have began with: "Let ##n\in \{1,2,\ldots,100\}.##" instead of ##n## being an arbitrary integer.
 
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