1. Sums of Consecutive Odd Integers and Pythagorean Triples.
- Author
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Ho, Chungwu
- Subjects
- *
PYTHAGOREAN triples , *INTEGERS , *FIBONACCI sequence , *PRIME numbers , *NUMBER theory - Abstract
Summary: Using the familiar way of representing a square of an integer as the sum of consecutive odd integers, the author described a method of studying the Pythagorean triples. This method was used by Fibonnacci in the early 13th century. It is a fruitful and accessible way to explore the following types of problems: given positive integers x2 and m, can there exists a Pythagorean triple x2, y2, z2 such that z = y + m ? Using this method, the author shows that, among other things, there cannot be any primitive Pythagorean triples with m an even positive power of 2, but there are infinitely many such triples with m an odd power of 2. On the other hand, if p is an odd prime, there cannot be any primitive triples with m an odd power of p, but infinitely many such triples with m an even power of p. To encourage students to use this method, the author has also designed a sequence of problems for students to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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