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In the set of integers, let P be the proposition: 'If k + 1 is divisible by 3, then k^3 + 1 is divisible by 3' - HSC - SSCE Mathematics Extension 2 - Question 15 - 2020 - Paper 1

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In the set of integers, let P be the proposition: 'If k + 1 is divisible by 3, then k^3 + 1 is divisible by 3'. (i) Prove that the proposition P is true. (ii) Wri... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:In the set of integers, let P be the proposition: 'If k + 1 is divisible by 3, then k^3 + 1 is divisible by 3' - HSC - SSCE Mathematics Extension 2 - Question 15 - 2020 - Paper 1

Step 1

Prove that the proposition P is true.

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Answer

To prove the proposition P, we start by assuming that k + 1 is divisible by 3. This implies that there exists an integer j such that:

k+1=3jk + 1 = 3j

We can express k as:

k=3j1k = 3j - 1

Next, we calculate k^3 + 1:

k3+1=(3j1)3+1k^3 + 1 = (3j - 1)^3 + 1

Expanding this using the binomial theorem gives:

(3j1)3+1=27j327j2+9j1+1=27j327j2+9j(3j - 1)^3 + 1 = 27j^3 - 27j^2 + 9j - 1 + 1 = 27j^3 - 27j^2 + 9j

It is evident that:

k3+1=3(9j39j2+3j)k^3 + 1 = 3(9j^3 - 9j^2 + 3j)

Since 9j^3 - 9j^2 + 3j is an integer, this shows that k^3 + 1 is divisible by 3. Therefore, we conclude that the proposition P is true.

Step 2

Write down the contrapositive of the proposition P.

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Answer

The contrapositive of the proposition P is:

'If k^3 + 1 is not divisible by 3, then k + 1 is not divisible by 3.'

Step 3

Write down the converse of the proposition P and state, with reasons, whether this converse is true or false.

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Answer

The converse of the proposition P is:

'If k^3 + 1 is divisible by 3, then k + 1 is divisible by 3.'

To evaluate whether this converse is true, consider a counterexample. Let k = 2:

For k = 2, we have:

  • k + 1 = 3, which is divisible by 3.
  • k^3 + 1 = 2^3 + 1 = 8 + 1 = 9, which is also divisible by 3.

Now, consider k = 1:

  • k + 1 = 2, which is not divisible by 3.
  • k^3 + 1 = 1^3 + 1 = 1 + 1 = 2, which is not divisible by 3.

This demonstrates that the converse is false in general since it does not hold for all integer values of k.

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