Subjects number theory

Diophantine Equation Ac5C35

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Question: prove no integer $a$, $b$, $c$ exists if $12a - 13b = 11$
1. **State the problem:** We want to prove that there are no integers $a$ and $b$ such that the equation $$12a - 13b = 11$$ holds. 2. **Recall the key concept:** For a linear Diophantine equation of the form $$Ax + By = C$$ to have integer solutions, the greatest common divisor (gcd) of $A$ and $B$ must divide $C$. 3. **Calculate the gcd:** $$\gcd(12, 13) = 1$$ 4. **Check divisibility:** Since $1$ divides every integer, the gcd condition does not immediately rule out solutions. 5. **Use modular arithmetic to test:** Consider the equation modulo $13$: $$12a - 13b \equiv 11 \pmod{13}$$ Since $13b \equiv 0 \pmod{13}$, this simplifies to: $$12a \equiv 11 \pmod{13}$$ 6. **Find the inverse of $12$ modulo $13$:** Since $12 \equiv -1 \pmod{13}$, the inverse of $12$ modulo $13$ is $12$ itself because: $$12 \times 12 = 144 \equiv 1 \pmod{13}$$ 7. **Solve for $a$ modulo $13$:** $$a \equiv 11 \times 12 = 132 \equiv 2 \pmod{13}$$ 8. **Substitute back to find $b$:** Rewrite the original equation: $$12a - 13b = 11 \implies 13b = 12a - 11$$ For $b$ to be integer, $12a - 11$ must be divisible by $13$. Using $a \equiv 2 \pmod{13}$, let $a = 13k + 2$: $$12(13k + 2) - 11 = 156k + 24 - 11 = 156k + 13$$ Since $156k + 13$ is divisible by $13$, $b = \frac{156k + 13}{13} = 12k + 1$ is integer. 9. **Conclusion:** There exist infinitely many integer solutions $(a,b)$ of the form: $$a = 13k + 2, \quad b = 12k + 1, \quad k \in \mathbb{Z}$$ Therefore, the statement "no integer $a$, $b$, $c$ exists if $12a - 13b = 11$" is false. **Final answer:** Integer solutions do exist for the equation $12a - 13b = 11$.