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Let $f(x) = x^2 - x + 2010$. What is the greatest common divisor of $f(100)$ and $f(101)$?

 Jan 18, 2021
 #1
avatar+506 
+1

First, realize that x2x=x(x+1). Also, realize that the prime factorization of 2010 is 23567. Therefore we can rewrite f(100) and f(101) like this:

f(100)=10099+23567=10(1099+367)f(101)=101100+23567=10(10101+367)

Since we cannot factor further, the answer to this question is  10

 Jan 19, 2021
 #2
avatar+506 
+1

I just realized i made a typo, because x^2-x = x(x-1), but the answer remains the same

 Jan 19, 2021
 #3
avatar+118718 
+1

Thanks textot  laugh

 

Here is another method:

 

f(100)=1002100+2010

 

f(101)=1012101+2010f(101)=(100+1)2101+2010f(101)=1002+200+1101+2010f(101)=1002100+200+2010f(101)=f(100)+200

 

Now my problem has changed to, what is the highest common factor of

  1002100+2010and200

 

10 goes into both so I will divide by 10

100010+201and20

 

The last digit of the first one is 1.   Nothing ending in 1 will have any common factors with 20, (it would have to end in a multiple of 2 or 5)

 

So

The hight common factor is 10.

 Jan 19, 2021

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