Number Theory and

Cryptography
Chapter 4

With Question/Answer Animations

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Chapter Motivation
● Number theory is the part of mathematics devoted to the study of the
integers and their properties.
● Key ideas in number theory include divisibility and the primality of
integers.
● Representations of integers, including binary and hexadecimal
representations, are part of number theory.
● Number theory has long been studied because of the beauty of its
ideas, its accessibility, and its wealth of open questions.
● We’ll use many ideas developed in Chapter 1 about proof methods
and proof strategy in our exploration of number theory.
● Mathematicians have long considered number theory to be pure
mathematics, but it has important applications to computer science
and cryptography studied in Sections 4.5 and 4.6.
Chapter Summary
● Divisibility and Modular Arithmetic
● Integer Representations and Algorithms
● Primes and Greatest Common Divisors
● Solving Congruences
● Applications of Congruences
● Cryptography
Divisibility and Modular
Arithmetic
Section 4.1
Section Summary
● Division
● Division Algorithm
● Modular Arithmetic
Division
Definition: If a and b are integers with a ≠ 0, then
a divides b if there exists an integer c such that b = ac.
● When a divides b we say that a is a factor or divisor of b
and that b is a multiple of a.
● The notation a | b denotes that a divides b.
● If a | b, then b/a is an integer.
● If a does not divide b, we write a ∤ b.

Example: Determine whether 3 | 7 and whether

3 | 12.
Properties of Divisibility
Theorem 1: Let a, b, and c be integers, where a ≠0.
i. If a | b and a | c, then a | (b + c);
ii. If a | b, then a | bc for all integers c;
iii. If a | b and b | c, then a | c.
Proof: (i) Suppose a | b and a | c, then it follows that there are
integers s and t with b = as and c = at. Hence,
b + c = as + at = a(s + t). Hence, a | (b + c)
(Exercises 3 and 4 ask for proofs of parts (ii) and (iii).)
Corollary: If a, b, and c be integers, where a ≠0, such that a |
b and a | c, then a | mb + nc whenever m and n are integers.
Can you show how it follows easily from from (ii) and (i) of
Theorem 1?
Division Algorithm
● When an integer is divided by a positive integer, there is a quotient and a
remainder. This is traditionally called the “Division Algorithm,” but is
really a theorem.
Division Algorithm: If a is an integer and d a positive integer, then there
are unique integers q and r, with 0 ≤ r < d, such that a = dq + r (proved in
Section 5.2). Definitions of Functions
● d is called the divisor.
● a is called the dividend.
div and mod
● q is called the quotient.
● r is called the remainder. q = a div d
Examples: r = a mod d
● What are the quotient and remainder when 101 is divided by 11?
Solution: The quotient when 101 is divided by 11 is 9 = 101 div 11, and the
remainder is 2 = 101 mod 11.
● What are the quotient and remainder when −11 is divided by 3?
Solution: The quotient when −11 is divided by 3 is −4 = −11 div 3, and the
remainder is 1 = −11 mod 3.
Congruence Relation
Definition: If a and b are integers and m is a positive integer, then a is
congruent to b modulo m if m divides a – b.
● The notation a ≡ b (mod m) says that a is congruent to b modulo m.
● We say that a ≡ b (mod m) is a congruence and that m is its modulus.
● Two integers are congruent mod m if and only if they have the same
remainder when divided by m.
● If a is not congruent to b modulo m, we write
a ≢ b (mod m)
Example: Determine whether 17 is congruent to 5 modulo 6 and
whether 24 and 14 are congruent modulo 6.

Solution:
● 17 ≡ 5 (mod 6) because 6 divides 17 − 5 = 12.
● 24 ≢ 14 (mod 6) since 24 − 14 = 10 is not divisible by 6.
More on Congruences
Theorem 4: Let m be a positive integer. The integers a
and b are congruent modulo m if and only if there is
an integer k such that a = b + km.
Proof:
● If a ≡ b (mod m), then (by the definition of congruence)
m | a – b. Hence, there is an integer k such that a – b =
km and equivalently a = b + km.
● Conversely, if there is an integer k such that a = b + km,
then km = a – b. Hence, m | a – b and a ≡ b (mod m).
The Relationship between (mod
m) and mod m Notations
● The use of “mod” in a ≡ b (mod m) and a mod m = b
are different.
● a ≡ b (mod m) is a relation on the set of integers.
● In a mod m = b, the notation mod denotes a function.

● The relationship between these notations is made

clear in this theorem.
● Theorem 3: Let a and b be integers, and let m be a
positive integer. Then a ≡ b (mod m) if and only if
a mod m = b mod m. (Proof in the exercises)
Congruences of Sums and Products
Theorem 5: Let m be a positive integer. If a ≡ b (mod m) and c ≡
d (mod m), then
a + c ≡ b + d (mod m) and ac ≡ bd (mod m)
Proof:
● Because a ≡ b (mod m) and c ≡ d (mod m), by Theorem 4 there are
integers s and t with b = a + sm and d = c + tm.
● Therefore,
● b + d = (a + sm) + (c + tm) = (a + c) + m(s + t) and
● b d = (a + sm) (c + tm) = ac + m(at + cs + stm).
● Hence, a + c ≡ b + d (mod m) and ac ≡ bd (mod m).
Example: Because 7 ≡ 2 (mod 5) and 11 ≡ 1 (mod 5) , it follows
from Theorem 5 that
18 = 7 + 11 ≡ 2 + 1 = 3 (mod 5)
77 = 7 · 11 ≡ 2 · 1 = 2 (mod 5)
Algebraic Manipulation of
Congruences
● Multiplying both sides of a valid congruence by an integer
preserves validity.
If a ≡ b (mod m) holds then c·a ≡ c·b (mod m), where c is any
integer, holds by Theorem 5 with d = c.
● Adding an integer to both sides of a valid congruence preserves
validity.
If a ≡ b (mod m) holds then c + a ≡ c + b (mod m), where c is any
integer, holds by Theorem 5 with d = c.
● Dividing a congruence by an integer does not always produce a
valid congruence.
Example: The congruence 14≡ 8 (mod 6) holds. But dividing both
sides by 2 does not produce a valid congruence since 14/2 = 7
and 8/2 = 4, but 7≢4 (mod 6).
See Section 4.3 for conditions when division is ok.
Computing the mod m Function of
Products and Sums
● We use the following corollary to Theorem 5 to
compute the remainder of the product or sum of two
integers when divided by m from the remainders when
each is divided by m.
Corollary: Let m be a positive integer and let a and b
be integers. Then
(a + b) (mod m) = ((a mod m) + (b mod m)) mod m
and
ab mod m = ((a mod m) (b mod m)) mod m.
(proof in text)
Arithmetic Modulo m
Definitions: Let Zm be the set of nonnegative integers less
than m: {0,1, …., m−1}
● The operation +m is defined as a +m b = (a + b) mod m. This is
addition modulo m.
● The operation ·m is defined as a ·m b = (a · b) mod m. This is
multiplication modulo m.
● Using these operations is said to be doing arithmetic modulo m.
Example: Find 7 +11 9 and 7 ·11 9.
Solution: Using the definitions above:
● 7 +11 9 = (7 + 9) mod 11 = 16 mod 11 = 5
● 7 ·11 9 = (7 · 9) mod 11 = 63 mod 11 = 8
Arithmetic Modulo m
● The operations +m and ·m satisfy many of the same properties as
ordinary addition and multiplication.
● Closure: If a and b belong to Zm , then a +m b and a ·m b belong to
Zm .
● Associativity: If a, b, and c belong to Zm , then
(a +m b) +m c = a +m (b +m c) and (a ·m b) ·m c = a ·m (b ·m c).
● Commutativity: If a and b belong to Zm , then
a +m b = b +m a and a ·m b = b ·m a.
● Identity elements: The elements 0 and 1 are identity elements for
addition and multiplication modulo m, respectively.
● If a belongs to Zm , then a +m 0 = a and a ·m 1 = a.

continued →
Arithmetic Modulo m
● Additive inverses: If a≠ 0 belongs to Zm , then m− a is the additive
inverse of a modulo m and 0 is its own additive inverse.
● a +m (m− a ) = 0 and 0 +m 0 = 0
● Distributivity: If a, b, and c belong to Zm , then

● a ·m (b +m c) = (a ·m b) +m (a ·m c) and
(a +m b) ·m c = (a ·m c) +m (b ·m c).
● Exercises 42-44 ask for proofs of these properties.
● Multiplicatative inverses have not been included since they do not always
exist. For example, there is no multiplicative inverse of 2 modulo 6.
● (optional) Using the terminology of abstract algebra, Zm with +m is a
commutative group and Zm with +m and ·m is a commutative ring.
Integer Representations
and Algorithms
Section 4.2
Section Summary
● Integer Representations
● Base b Expansions
● Binary Expansions
● Octal Expansions
● Hexadecimal Expansions

● Base Conversion Algorithm

● Algorithms for Integer Operations
Representations of Integers
● In the modern world, we use decimal, or base 10, notation
to represent integers. For example when we write 965,
we mean 9·102 + 6·101 + 5·100 .
● We can represent numbers using any base b, where b is
a positive integer greater than 1.
● The bases b = 2 (binary), b = 8 (octal) , and b= 16
(hexadecimal) are important for computing and
communications
● The ancient Mayans used base 20 and the ancient
Babylonians used base 60.
Base b Representations
● We can use positive integer b greater than 1 as a base, because of this
theorem:
Theorem 1: Let b be a positive integer greater than 1. Then if n is a
positive integer, it can be expressed uniquely in the form:
n = akbk + ak-1bk-1 + …. + a1b + a0
where k is a nonnegative integer, a0,a1,…. ak are nonnegative integers
less than b, and ak≠ 0. The aj, j = 0,…,k are called the base-b digits of
the representation.
(We will prove this using mathematical induction in Section 5.1.)
● The representation of n given in Theorem 1 is called the base b
expansion of n and is denoted by (akak-1….a1a0)b.
● We usually omit the subscript 10 for base 10 expansions.
Binary Expansions
Most computers represent integers and do arithmetic with
binary (base 2) expansions of integers. In these expansions,
the only digits used are 0 and 1.
Example: What is the decimal expansion of the integer that has
(1 0101 1111)2 as its binary expansion?
Solution:
(1 0101 1111)2 = 1·28 + 0·27 + 1·26 + 0·25 + 1·24 + 1·23 +
1·22 + 1·21 + 1·20 =351.
Example: What is the decimal expansion of the integer that has
(11011)2 as its binary expansion?
Solution: (11011)2 = 1 ·24 + 1·23 + 0·22 + 1·21 + 1·20 =27.
Octal Expansions
The octal expansion (base 8) uses the digits
{0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7}.
Example: What is the decimal expansion of the
number with octal expansion (7016)8 ?
Solution: 7·83 + 0·82 + 1·81 + 6·80 =3598
Example: What is the decimal expansion of the
number with octal expansion (111)8 ?
Solution: 1·82 + 1·81 + 1·80 = 64 + 8 + 1 = 73
Hexadecimal Expansions
The hexadecimal expansion needs 16 digits, but our
decimal system provides only 10. So letters are used for the
additional symbols. The hexadecimal system uses the
digits {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F}. The letters A through
F represent the decimal numbers 10 through 15.
Example: What is the decimal expansion of the number
with hexadecimal expansion (2AE0B)16 ?
Solution:
2·164 + 10·163 + 14·162 + 0·161 + 11·160 =175627
Example: What is the decimal expansion of the number
with hexadecimal expansion (E5)16 ?
Solution: 14·161 + 5·160 = 224 + 5 = 229
Base Conversion
To construct the base b expansion of an integer n:
● Divide n by b to obtain a quotient and remainder.
n = bq0 + a0 0 ≤ a0 ≤ b
● The remainder, a0 , is the rightmost digit in the base b
expansion of n. Next, divide q0 by b.
q0 = bq1 + a1 0 ≤ a1 ≤ b
● The remainder, a1, is the second digit from the right in the
base b expansion of n.
● Continue by successively dividing the quotients by b,
obtaining the additional base b digits as the remainder. The
process terminates when the quotient is 0.
continued →
Algorithm: Constructing Base b
Expansions
procedure base b expansion(n, b: positive integers with b > 1)
q := n
k := 0
while (q ≠ 0)
ak := q mod b
q := q div b
k := k + 1
return(ak-1 ,…, a1,a0){(ak-1 … a1a0)b is base b expansion of n}

● q represents the quotient obtained by successive divisions by

b, starting with q = n.
● The digits in the base b expansion are the remainders of the
division given by q mod b.
● The algorithm terminates when q = 0 is reached.
Base Conversion
Example: Find the octal expansion of (12345)10
Solution: Successively dividing by 8 gives:
● 12345 = 8 · 1543 + 1
● 1543 = 8 · 192 + 7
● 192 = 8 · 24 + 0
● 24 = 8 · 3 + 0
● 3 =8·0+3
The remainders are the digits from right to left yielding
(30071)8.
Comparison of Hexadecimal, Octal,
and Binary Representations

Initial 0s are not shown

Each octal digit corresponds to a block of 3 binary digits.

Each hexadecimal digit corresponds to a block of 4 binary digits.
So, conversion between binary, octal, and hexadecimal is easy.
Conversion Between Binary, Octal,
and Hexadecimal Expansions
Example: Find the octal and hexadecimal expansions of
(11 1110 1011 1100)2.
Solution:
● To convert to octal, we group the digits into blocks of three
(011 111 010 111 100)2, adding initial 0s as needed. The
blocks from left to right correspond to the digits 3,7,2,7, and
4. Hence, the solution is (37274)8.
● To convert to hexadecimal, we group the digits into blocks
of four (0011 1110 1011 1100)2, adding initial 0s as needed.
The blocks from left to right correspond to the digits 3,E,B,
and C. Hence, the solution is (3EBC)16.
 Binary Addition of Integers
● Algorithms for performing operations with integers using
their binary expansions are important as computer chips work
with binary numbers. Each digit is called a bit.
procedure add(a, b: positive integers)
{the binary expansions of a and b are (an-1,an-2,…,a0)2 and (bn-1,bn-2,…,b0)2, respectively}
c := 0
for j := 0 to n − 1
d := ⌊(aj + bj + c)/2⌋
sj := aj + bj + c − 2d
c := d
sn := c
return(s
● The0,snumber
1,…, sn){the
ofbinary expansion
additions of the
of bits sum by
used is (sthe
n,sn-1algorithm
,…,s0)2} to add
two n-bit integers is O(n).
Binary Multiplication of Integers
● Algorithm for computing the product of two n bit
integers.
procedure multiply(a, b: positive integers)
{the binary expansions of a and b are (an-1,an-2,…,a0)2 and (bn-1,bn-2,…,b0)2, respectively}
for j := 0 to n − 1
if bj = 1 then cj = a shifted j places
else cj := 0
{co,c1,…, cn-1 are the partial products}
p := 0
for j := 0 to n − 1
p := p + cj
return p {p is the value of ab}

● The number of additions of bits used by the algorithm to

multiply two n-bit integers is O(n2).
Binary Modular Exponentiation
● In cryptography, it is important to be able to find bn mod m
efficiently, where b, n, and m are large integers.
● Use the binary expansion of n, n = (ak-1,…,a1,ao)2 , to compute bn .
Note that:

● Therefore, to compute bn, we need only compute the values of b,

b2, (b2)2 = b4, (b4)2 = b8 , …, and the multiply the terms in
this list, where aj = 1.

Example: Compute 311 using this method.

Solution: Note that 11 = (1011)2 so that 311 = 38 32 31 =
((32)2 )2 32 31 = (92 )2 · 9 ·3 = (81)2 · 9 ·3 =6561 · 9 ·3 =117,147.
continued →
Binary Modular Exponentiation
Algorithm
● The algorithm successively finds b mod m, b2 mod m, b4
mod m, …, mod m, and multiplies together the terms
where aj = 1.

procedure modular exponentiation(b: integer, n = (ak-1ak-2…a1a0)2 , m: positive integers)

x := 1
power := b mod m
for i := 0 to k − 1
if ai= 1 then x := (x· power ) mod m
power := (power· power ) mod m
return x {x equals bn mod m }

● O((log m )2 log n) bit operations are used to find bn mod m.

Primes and Greatest
Common Divisors
Section 4.3
Section Summary
● Prime Numbers and their Properties
● Conjectures and Open Problems About Primes
● Greatest Common Divisors and Least Common
Multiples
● The Euclidian Algorithm
● gcds as Linear Combinations
Primes
Definition: A positive integer p greater than 1 is
called prime if the only positive factors of p are 1 and
p. A positive integer that is greater than 1 and is not
prime is called composite.

Example: The integer 7 is prime because its only

positive factors are 1 and 7, but 9 is composite
because it is divisible by 3.
The Fundamental Theorem of
Arithmetic
Theorem: Every positive integer greater than 1 can be
written uniquely as a prime or as the product of two
or more primes where the prime factors are written in
order of nondecreasing size.
Examples:
● 100 = 2 · 2 · 5 · 5 = 22 · 52
● 641 = 641
● 999 = 3 · 3 · 3 · 37 = 33 · 37
● 1024 = 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 = 210
 Erastothenes
(276-194 B.C.)

The Sieve of Erastosthenes

● The Sieve of Erastosthenes can be used to find all primes not
exceeding a specified positive integer. For example, begin with
the list of integers between 1 and 100.
a. Delete all the integers, other than 2, divisible by 2.
b. Delete all the integers, other than 3, divisible by 3.
c. Next, delete all the integers, other than 5, divisible by 5.
d. Next, delete all the integers, other than 7, divisible by 7.
e. Since all the remaining integers are not divisible by any of the
previous integers, other than 1, the primes are:
{2,3,5,7,11,15,1719,23,29,31,37,41,43,47,53,
59,61,67,71,73,79,83,89, 97}
continued →
The Sieve of Erastosthenes
If an integer n is a
composite integer, then it
has a prime divisor less
than or equal to √n.

To see this, note that if n =

ab, then  a ≤ √n or b ≤√n.

Trial division, a very

inefficient method of
determining if a number n
is prime, is to try every
integer i ≤√n and see if n is
divisible by i.
Infinitude of Primes Euclid
(325 B.C.E. – 265 B.C.E.)
Theorem: There are infinitely many primes. (Euclid)
Proof: Assume finitely many primes: p1, p2, ….., pn
● Let q = p1p2··· pn + 1
● Either q is prime or by the fundamental theorem of arithmetic it is a
product of primes.
● But none of the primes pj divides q since if pj | q, then pj divides
q − p1p2··· pn = 1 .
● Hence, there is a prime not on the list p1, p2, ….., pn. It is either q, or if q
is composite, it is a prime factor of q. This contradicts the assumption
that p1, p2, ….., pn are all the primes.
This proof was given by Euclid The Elements. The proof is considered to be one of
● the
Consequently,
most beautiful inthere are infinitely
all mathematics. many
It is the primes.
first proof in The Book, inspired by
the famous mathematician Paul Erdős’ imagined collection of perfect proofs Paul Erdős
maintained by God. (1913-1996)
 Marin Mersenne
(1588-1648)
Mersene Primes
Definition: Prime numbers of the form 2p − 1 , where p is
prime, are called Mersene primes.
● 22 − 1 = 3, 23 − 1 = 7, 25 − 1 = 37 , and 27 − 1 = 127 are
Mersene primes.
● 211 − 1 = 2047 is not a Mersene prime since 2047 = 23·89.
● There is an efficient test for determining if 2p − 1 is prime.
● The largest known prime numbers are Mersene primes.
● As of mid 2011, 47 Mersene primes were known, the largest is
243,112,609 − 1, which has nearly 13 million decimal digits.
● The Great Internet Mersene Prime Search (GIMPS) is a
distributed computing project to search for new Mersene Primes.
http://www.mersenne.org/
Distribution of Primes
● Mathematicians have been interested in the distribution of
prime numbers among the positive integers. In the
nineteenth century, the prime number theorem was proved
which gives an asymptotic estimate for the number of
primes not exceeding x.
Prime Number Theorem: The ratio of the number of
primes not exceeding x and x/ln x approaches 1 as x grows
without bound. (ln x is the natural logarithm of x)
● The theorem tells us that the number of primes not exceeding
x, can be approximated by x/ln x.
● The odds that a randomly selected positive integer less than n
is prime are approximately (n/ln n)/n = 1/ln n.
Primes and Arithmetic Progressions
(optional)
● Euclid’s proof that there are infinitely many primes can be easily
adapted to show that there are infinitely many primes in the
following 4k + 3, k = 1,2,… (See Exercise 55)
● In the 19th century G. Lejuenne Dirchlet showed that every arithmetic
progression ka + b, k = 1,2, …, where a and b have no common factor
greater than 1 contains infinitely many primes. (The proof is beyond
the scope of the text.)
● Are there long arithmetic progressions made up entirely of primes?
● 5,11, 17, 23, 29 is an arithmetic progression of five primes.
● 199, 409, 619, 829, 1039,1249,1459,1669,1879,2089 is an arithmetic
progression of ten primes.
● In the 1930s, Paul Erdős conjectured that for every positive integer n
greater than 1, there is an arithmetic progression of length n made up
entirely of primes. This was proven in 2006, by Ben Green and
Terrence Tau. Terence Tao
(Born 1975)
Generating Primes
● The problem of generating large primes is of both theoretical and
practical interest.
● We will see (in Section 4.6) that finding large primes with hundreds of
digits is important in cryptography.
● So far, no useful closed formula that always produces primes has been
found. There is no simple function f(n) such that f(n) is prime for all
positive integers n.
● But f(n) = n2 − n + 41 is prime for all integers 1,2,…, 40. Because of
this, we might conjecture that f(n) is prime for all positive integers n.
But f(41) = 412 is not prime.
● More generally, there is no polynomial with integer coefficients such
that f(n) is prime for all positive integers n. (See supplementary
Exercise 23.)
● Fortunately, we can generate large integers which are almost certainly
primes. See Chapter 7.
Conjectures about Primes
● Even though primes have been studied extensively for centuries,
many conjectures about them are unresolved, including:
● Goldbach’s Conjecture: Every even integer n, n > 2, is the sum of two
primes. It has been verified by computer for all positive even integers up to
1.6 ·1018. The conjecture is believed to be true by most mathematicians.
● There are infinitely many primes of the form n2 + 1, where n is a positive
integer. But it has been shown that there are infinitely many primes of the
form n2 + 1, where n is a positive integer or the product of at most two
primes.
● The Twin Prime Conjecture: The twin prime conjecture is that there are
infinitely many pairs of twin primes. Twin primes are pairs of primes that
differ by 2. Examples are 3 and 5, 5 and 7, 11 and 13, etc. The current
world’s record for twin primes (as of mid 2011) consists of numbers
65,516,468,355·2333,333 ±1, which have 100,355 decimal digits.
Greatest Common Divisor
Definition: Let a and b be integers, not both zero. The
largest integer d such that d | a and also d | b is called the
greatest common divisor of a and b. The greatest common
divisor of a and b is denoted by gcd(a,b).

One can find greatest common divisors of small numbers

by inspection.
Example:What is the greatest common divisor of 24 and 36?
Solution: gcd(24, 36) = 12
Example:What is the greatest common divisor of 17 and
22?
Solution: gcd(17,22) = 1
Greatest Common Divisor
Definition: The integers a and b are relatively prime if their
greatest common divisor is 1.
Example: 17 and 22
Definition: The integers a1, a2, …, an are pairwise relatively prime if
gcd(ai, aj)= 1 whenever 1 ≤ i<j ≤n.
Example: Determine whether the integers 10, 17 and 21 are
pairwise relatively prime.
Solution: Because gcd(10,17) = 1, gcd(10,21) = 1, and gcd(17,21) =
1, 10, 17, and 21 are pairwise relatively prime.
Example: Determine whether the integers 10, 19, and 24 are
pairwise relatively prime.
Solution: Because gcd(10,24) = 2, 10, 19, and 24 are not pairwise
relatively prime.
Greatest Common Divisor
Definition: The integers a and b are relatively prime if their
greatest common divisor is 1.
Example: 17 and 22
Definition: The integers a1, a2, …, an are pairwise relatively prime if
gcd(ai, aj)= 1 whenever 1 ≤ i<j ≤n.
Example: Determine whether the integers 10, 17 and 21 are
pairwise relatively prime.
Solution: Because gcd(10,17) = 1, gcd(10,21) = 1, and gcd(17,21) =
1, 10, 17, and 21 are pairwise relatively prime.
Example: Determine whether the integers 10, 19, and 24 are
pairwise relatively prime.
Solution: Because gcd(10,24) = 2, 10, 19, and 24 are not pairwise
relatively prime.
Finding the Greatest Common Divisor
Using Prime Factorizations
● Suppose the prime factorizations of a and b are:

where each exponent is a nonnegative integer, and where all primes

occurring in either prime factorization are included in both. Then:

● This formula is valid since the integer on the right (of the equals sign)
divides both a and b. No larger integer can divide both a and b.
Example: 120 = 23 ·3 ·5 500 = 22 ·53
gcd(120,500) = 2min(3,2) ·3min(1,0) ·5min(1,3) = 22 ·30 ·51 = 20
● Finding the gcd of two positive integers using their prime
factorizations is not efficient because there is no efficient algorithm for
finding the prime factorization of a positive integer.
Least Common Multiple
Definition: The least common multiple of the positive integers a and b is the smallest positive integer that is divisible by both a and b. It is denoted by lcm(a,b).
● The least common multiple can also be computed from the prime factorizations.

This number is divided

3 5 2 4 by
3 both a and max(5,3)
max(3,4) b and no smaller4 number
max(2,0) 5 2 is divided by a and b.
Example: lcm(2 3 7 , 2 3 ) = 2 3 7 =2 3 7
● The greatest common divisor and the least common multiple of two integers are related by:
Theorem 5: Let a and b be positive integers. Then
ab = gcd(a,b) ·lcm(a,b)
(proof is Exercise 31)
Euclidean Algorithm Euclid
(325 B.C.E. – 265 B.C.E.)
● The Euclidian algorithm is an efficient method for
computing the greatest common divisor of two integers. It
is based on the idea that gcd(a,b) is equal to gcd(a,c) when
a > b and c is the remainder when a is divided by b.
Example: Find gcd(91, 287):
● 287 = 91 · 3 + 14 Divide 287 by 91

● 91 = 14 · 6 + 7 Divide 91 by 14
Divide 14 by 7
● 14 = 7 · 2 + 0 Stopping
condition

gcd(287, 91) = gcd(91, 14) = gcd(14, 7) = 7

continued →
Euclidean Algorithm
● The Euclidean algorithm expressed in pseudocode is:
procedure gcd(a, b: positive integers)
x := a
y := b
while y ≠ 0
r := x mod y
x := y
y := r
return x {gcd(a,b) is x}

● In Section 5.3, we’ll see that the time complexity of the

algorithm is O(log b), where a > b.
Correctness of Euclidean Algorithm
Lemma 1: Let a = bq + r, where a, b, q, and r are integers.
Then gcd(a,b) = gcd(b,r).
Proof:
● Suppose that d divides both a and b. Then d also divides a
− bq = r (by Theorem 1 of Section 4.1). Hence, any
common divisor of a and b must also be any common
divisor of b and r.
● Suppose that d divides both b and r. Then d also divides
bq + r = a. Hence, any common divisor of a and b must
also be a common divisor of b and r.
● Therefore, gcd(a,b) = gcd(b,r).
Correctness of Euclidean Algorithm
● Suppose that a and b are positive r0 = r1q1 + r2 0 ≤ r2 < r1,
integers with a ≥ b.
r1 = r2q2 + r3 0 ≤ r3 < r2,
Let r0 = a and r1 = b.
Successive applications of the division ·
algorithm yields: ·
·
rn-2 = rn-1qn-1 + r2 0 ≤ rn < rn-1,
rn-1 = rnqn .

● Eventually, a remainder of zero occurs in the sequence of terms: a = r0 > r1 > r2 > · · · ≥ 0.
The sequence can’t contain more than a terms.
● By Lemma 1
gcd(a,b) = gcd(r0,r1) = · · · = gcd(rn-1,rn) = gcd(rn , 0) = rn.
● Hence the greatest common divisor is the last nonzero remainder in the sequence of divisions.
 Étienne Bézout
(1730-1783)

gcds as Linear Combinations

Bézout’s Theorem: If a and b are positive integers, then there
exist integers s and t such that gcd(a,b) = sa + tb.
(proof in exercises of Section 5.2)
Definition: If a and b are positive integers, then integers s
and t such that gcd(a,b) = sa + tb are called Bézout coefficients
of a and b. The equation gcd(a,b) = sa + tb is called Bézout’s
identity.
● By Bézout’s Theorem, the gcd of integers a and b can be
expressed in the form sa + tb where s and t are integers. This
is a linear combination with integer coefficients of a and b.
● gcd(6,14) = (−2)·6 + 1·14
Finding gcds as Linear Combinations
Example: Express gcd(252,198) = 18 as a linear combination of 252 and 198.
Solution: First use the Euclidean algorithm to show gcd(252,198) = 18
i. 252 = 1·198 + 54
ii. 198 = 3 ·54 + 36
iii. 54 = 1 ·36 + 18
iv. 36 = 2 ·18
● Now working backwards, from iii and i above
● 18 = 54 − 1 ·36
● 36 = 198 − 3 ·54

● Substituting the 2nd equation into the 1st yields:

● 18 = 54 − 1 ·(198 − 3 ·54 )= 4 ·54 − 1 ·198

● Substituting 54 = 252 − 1 ·198 (from i)) yields:

● 18 = 4 ·(252 − 1 ·198) − 1 ·198 = 4 ·252 − 5 ·198
● This method illustrated above is a two pass method. It first uses the Euclidian
algorithm to find the gcd and then works backwards to express the gcd as a
linear combination of the original two integers. A one pass method, called the
extended Euclidean algorithm, is developed in the exercises.
Consequences of Bézout’s Theorem
Lemma 2: If a, b, and c are positive integers such that gcd(a, b) = 1 and a | bc,
then a | c.
Proof: Assume gcd(a, b) = 1 and a | bc
● Since gcd(a, b) = 1, by Bézout’s Theorem there are integers s and t such that
sa + tb = 1.
● Multiplying both sides of the equation by c, yields sac + tbc = c.
● From Theorem 1 of Section 4.1:
a | tbc (part ii) and a divides sac + tbc since a | sac and a|tbc (part i)
● We conclude a | c, since sac + tbc = c.

Lemma 3: If p is prime and p | a1a2···an, then p | ai for some i.

(proof uses mathematical induction; see Exercise 64 of Section 5.1)

● Lemma 3 is crucial in the proof of the uniqueness of prime factorizations.

Uniqueness of Prime Factorization
● We will prove that a prime factorization of a positive integer where the
primes are in nondecreasing order is unique. (This part of the fundamental
theorem of arithmetic. The other part, which asserts that every positive
integer has a prime factorization into primes, will be proved in Section 5.2.)
Proof: (by contradiction) Suppose that the positive integer n can be written as a
product of primes in two distinct ways:
n = p1p2 ··· ps and n = q1q2 ··· pt.
● Remove all common primes from the factorizations to get

● By Lemma 3, it follows that divides , for some k, contradicting the

assumption that and are distinct primes.

● Hence, there can be at most one factorization of n into primes in nondecreasing

order.
Dividing Congruences by an Integer
● Dividing both sides of a valid congruence by an integer
does not always produce a valid congruence (see Section
4.1).
● But dividing by an integer relatively prime to the modulus
does produce a valid congruence:
Theorem 7: Let m be a positive integer and let a, b, and c be
integers. If ac ≡ bc (mod m) and gcd(c,m) = 1, then a ≡ b
(mod m).
Proof: Since ac ≡ bc (mod m), m | ac − bc = c(a − b) by
Lemma 2 and the fact that gcd(c,m) = 1, it follows that
m | a − b. Hence, a ≡ b (mod m).
Solving Congruences
Section 4.4
Section Summary
● Linear Congruences
● The Chinese Remainder Theorem
● Computer Arithmetic with Large Integers (not
currently included in slides, see text)
● Fermat’s Little Theorem
● Pseudoprimes
● Primitive Roots and Discrete Logarithms
Linear Congruences
Definition: A congruence of the form
ax ≡ b( mod m),
where m is a positive integer, a and b are integers, and x is a variable, is
called a linear congruence.

● The solutions to a linear congruence ax≡ b( mod m) are all integers x that
satisfy the congruence.

Definition: An integer ā such that āa ≡ 1( mod m) is said to be an inverse of

a modulo m.
Example: 5 is an inverse of 3 modulo 7 since 5·3 = 15 ≡ 1(mod 7)

● One method of solving linear congruences makes use of an inverse ā, if it

exists. Although we can not divide both sides of the congruence by a, we
can multiply by ā to solve for x.
Inverse of a modulo m
● The following theorem guarantees that an inverse of a modulo m exists
whenever a and m are relatively prime. Two integers a and b are
relatively prime when gcd(a,b) = 1.
Theorem 1: If a and m are relatively prime integers and m > 1, then an
inverse of a modulo m exists. Furthermore, this inverse is unique
modulo m. (This means that there is a unique positive integer ā less
than m that is an inverse of a modulo m and every other inverse of a
modulo m is congruent to ā modulo m.)
Proof: Since gcd(a,m) = 1, by Theorem 6 of Section 4.3, there are
integers s and t such that sa + tm = 1.
● Hence, sa + tm ≡ 1 ( mod m).
● Since tm ≡ 0 ( mod m), it follows that sa ≡ 1 ( mod m)
● Consequently, s is an inverse of a modulo m.
● The uniqueness of the inverse is Exercise 7.
Finding Inverses
● The Euclidean algorithm and Bézout coefficients gives us a
systematic approaches to finding inverses.
Example: Find an inverse of 3 modulo 7.
Solution: Because gcd(3,7) = 1, by Theorem 1, an inverse of 3
modulo 7 exists.
● Using the Euclidian algorithm: 7 = 2·3 + 1.
● From this equation, we get −2·3 + 1·7 = 1, and see that −2 and 1
are Bézout coefficients of 3 and 7.
● Hence, −2 is an inverse of 3 modulo 7.
● Also every integer congruent to −2 modulo 7 is an inverse of 3 modulo
7, i.e., 5, −9, 12, etc.
Finding Inverses
Example: Find an inverse of 101 modulo 4620.
Solution: First use the Euclidian algorithm to show that
gcd(101,4620) = 1. Working Backwards:
42620 = 45·101 + 75 1 = 3 − 1·2
101 = 1·75 + 26 1 = 3 − 1·(23 − 7·3) = − 1 ·23 + 8·3
75 = 2·26 + 23 1 = −1·23 + 8·(26 − 1·23) = 8·26 − 9 ·23
26 = 1·23 + 3 1 = 8·26 − 9 ·(75 − 2·26 )= 26·26 − 9 ·75
23 = 7·3 + 2 1 = 26·(101 − 1·75) − 9 ·75
3 = 1·2 + 1 = 26·101 − 35 ·75
2 = 2·1 1 = 26·101 − 35 ·(42620 − 45·101)
Since the last nonzero = − 35 ·42620 + 1601·101
remainder is 1, 1601 is an inverse of
Bézout coefficients : − 35 and 1601
gcd(101,4260) = 1 101 modulo 42620
Using Inverses to Solve Congruences
● We can solve the congruence ax≡ b( mod m) by multiplying both sides by ā.
Example: What are the solutions of the congruence 3x≡ 4( mod 7).
Solution: We found that −2 is an inverse of 3 modulo 7 (two slides back).
We multiply both sides of the congruence by −2 giving
−2 · 3x ≡ −2 · 4(mod 7).
Because −6 ≡ 1 (mod 7) and −8 ≡ 6 (mod 7), it follows that if x is a solution,
then x ≡ −8 ≡ 6 (mod 7)
We need to determine if every x with x ≡ 6 (mod 7) is a solution. Assume
that x ≡ 6 (mod 7). By Theorem 5 of Section 4.1, it follows that 3x ≡ 3 · 6 =
18 ≡ 4( mod 7) which shows that all such x satisfy the congruence.
The solutions are the integers x such that x ≡ 6 (mod 7), namely, 6,13,20 …
and −1, − 8, − 15,…
The Chinese Remainder Theorem
● In the first century, the Chinese mathematician Sun-Tsu asked:
There are certain things whose number is unknown. When divided
by 3, the remainder is 2; when divided by 5, the remainder is 3;
when divided by 7, the remainder is 2. What will be the number of
things?
● This puzzle can be translated into the solution of the system of
congruences:
x ≡ 2 ( mod 3),
x ≡ 3 ( mod 5),
x ≡ 2 ( mod 7)?
● We’ll see how the theorem that is known as the Chinese
Remainder Theorem can be used to solve Sun-Tsu’s problem.
The Chinese Remainder Theorem
Theorem 2: (The Chinese Remainder Theorem) Let m1,m2,…,mn be pairwise
relatively prime positive integers greater than one and a1,a2,…,an arbitrary
integers. Then the system
x ≡ a1 ( mod m1)
x ≡ a2 ( mod m2)
·
·
·
x ≡ an ( mod mn)
has a unique solution modulo m = m1m2 · · · mn.
(That is, there is a solution x with 0 ≤ x <m and all other solutions are congruent
modulo m to this solution.)

● Proof: We’ll show that a solution exists by describing a way to construct the
solution. Showing that the solution is unique modulo m is Exercise 30.
continued →
The Chinese Remainder Theorem
To construct a solution first let Mk=m/mk for k = 1,2,…,n and m = m1m2 · · · mn.

Since gcd(mk ,Mk ) = 1, by Theorem 1, there is an integer yk , an inverse of Mk modulo mk, such
that
Mk yk ≡ 1 ( mod mk ).
Form the sum
x = a1 M1 y1 + a2 M2 y2 + · · · + an Mn yn .

Note that because Mj ≡ 0 ( mod mk) whenever j ≠k , all terms except the kth term in this sum are
congruent to 0 modulo mk .
Because Mk yk ≡ 1 ( mod mk ), we see that x ≡ ak Mk yk ≡ ak( mod mk), for k = 1,2,…,n.
Hence, x is a simultaneous solution to the n congruences.
x ≡ a1 ( mod m1)
x ≡ a2 ( mod m2)
·
·
·
x ≡ an ( mod mn)
The Chinese Remainder Theorem
Example: Consider the 3 congruences from Sun-Tsu’s problem:
x ≡ 2 ( mod 3), x ≡ 3 ( mod 5), x ≡ 2 ( mod 7).
● Let m = 3· 5 · 7 = 105, M1 = m/3 = 35, M3 = m/5 = 21, M3
= m/7 = 15.
● We see that
● 2 is an inverse of M1 = 35 modulo 3 since 35 · 2 ≡ 2 · 2 ≡ 1 (mod 3)
● 1 is an inverse of M2 = 21 modulo 5 since 21 ≡ 1 (mod 5)
● 1 is an inverse of M3 = 15 modulo 7 since 15 ≡ 1 (mod 7)
● Hence,
x = a1M1y1 + a2M2y2 + a3M3y3
= 2 · 35 · 2 + 3 · 21 · 1 + 2 · 15 · 1 = 233 ≡ 23 (mod 105)

● We have shown that 23 is the smallest positive integer that is a simultaneous

solution. Check it!
Back Substitution
● We can also solve systems of linear congruences with pairwise relatively prime moduli
by rewriting a congruences as an equality using Theorem 4 in Section 4.1, substituting
the value for the variable into another congruence, and continuing the process until we
have worked through all the congruences. This method is known as back substitution.
Example: Use the method of back substitution to find all integers x such that x ≡ 1 (mod
5), x ≡ 2 (mod 6), and x ≡ 3 (mod 7).
Solution: By Theorem 4 in Section 4.1, the first congruence can be rewritten as x = 5t +1,
where t is an integer.
● Substituting into the second congruence yields 5t +1 ≡ 2 (mod 6).
● Solving this tells us that t ≡ 5 (mod 6).
● Using Theorem 4 again gives t = 6u + 5 where u is an integer.
● Substituting this back into x = 5t +1, gives x = 5(6u + 5) +1 = 30u + 26.
● Inserting this into the third equation gives 30u + 26 ≡ 3 (mod 7).
● Solving this congruence tells us that u ≡ 6 (mod 7).
● By Theorem 4, u = 7v + 6, where v is an integer.
● Substituting this expression for u into x = 30u + 26, tells us that x = 30(7v + 6) + 26 = 210u +
206.
Translating this back into a congruence we find the solution x ≡ 206 (mod 210).
Fermat’s Little Theorem Pierre de Fermat
(1601-1665)
Theorem 3: (Fermat’s Little Theorem) If p is prime and a is an integer not divisible by p,
then ap-1 ≡ 1 (mod p)
Furthermore, for every integer a we have ap ≡ a (mod p)
(proof outlined in Exercise 19)

Fermat’s little theorem is useful in computing the remainders modulo p of large

powers of integers.
Example: Find 7222 mod 11.
By Fermat’s little theorem, we know that 710 ≡ 1 (mod 11), and so (710 )k ≡ 1 (mod 11), for
every positive integer k. Therefore,

7222 = 722·10 + 2 = (710)2272 ≡ (1)22 ·49 ≡ 5 (mod 11).

Hence, 7222 mod 11 = 5.

Pseudoprimes
● By Fermat’s little theorem n > 2 is prime, where
2n-1 ≡ 1 (mod n).
● But if this congruence holds, n may not be prime.
Composite integers n such that 2n-1 ≡ 1 (mod n) are called
pseudoprimes to the base 2.
Example: The integer 341 is a pseudoprime to the base 2.
341 = 11 · 31
2340 ≡ 1 (mod 341) (see in Exercise 37)
● We can replace 2 by any integer b ≥ 2.
Definition: Let b be a positive integer. If n is a composite
integer, and bn-1 ≡ 1 (mod n), then n is called a pseudoprime to
the base b.
Pseudoprimes
● Given a positive integer n, such that 2n-1 ≡ 1 (mod n):
● If n does not satisfy the congruence, it is composite.
● If n does satisfy the congruence, it is either prime or a
pseudoprime to the base 2.
● Doing similar tests with additional bases b, provides more
evidence as to whether n is prime.
● Among the positive integers not exceeding a positive real
number x, compared to primes, there are relatively few
pseudoprimes to the base b.
● For example, among the positive integers less than 1010 there are
455,052,512 primes, but only 14,884 pseudoprimes to the base 2.
Carmichael Numbers

(optional) Robert Carmichael
(1879-1967)
● There are composite integers n that pass all tests with bases b such that gcd(b,n) = 1.
Definition: A composite integer n that satisfies the congruence bn-1 ≡ 1 (mod n) for all
positive integers b with gcd(b,n) = 1 is called a Carmichael number.
Example: The integer 561 is a Carmichael number. To see this:
● 561 is composite, since 561 = 3 · 11 · 13.
● If gcd(b, 561) = 1, then gcd(b, 3) = 1, then gcd(b, 11) = gcd(b, 17) =1.
● Using Fermat’s Little Theorem: b2 ≡ 1 (mod 3), b10 ≡ 1 (mod 11), b16 ≡ 1 (mod 17).
● Then
b560 = (b2) 280 ≡ 1 (mod 3),
b560 = (b10) 56 ≡ 1 (mod 11),
b560 = (b16) 35 ≡ 1 (mod 17).
● It follows (see Exercise 29) that b560 ≡ 1 (mod 561) for all positive integers b with gcd(b,
561) = 1. Hence, 561 is a Carmichael number.
● Even though there are infinitely many Carmichael numbers, there are other tests
(described in the exercises) that form the basis for efficient probabilistic primality
testing. (see Chapter 7)
Primitive Roots
Definition: A primitive root modulo a prime p is an integer
r in Zp such that every nonzero element of Zp is a power of r.
Example: Since every element of Z11 is a power of 2, 2 is a
primitive root of 11.
Powers of 2 modulo 11: 21 = 2, 22 = 4, 23 = 8, 24 = 5, 25 = 10, 26 = 9, 27 = 7, 28 = 3, 210 =
2.
Example: Since not all elements of Z11 are powers of 3, 3 is
not a primitive root of 11.
Powers of 3 modulo 11: 31 = 3, 32 = 9, 33 = 5, 34 = 4, 35 = 1, and the pattern repeats
for higher powers.
Important Fact: There is a primitive root modulo p for every
prime number p.
Discrete Logarithms
Suppose p is prime and r is a primitive root modulo p. If a is an integer
between 1 and p −1, that is an element of Zp, there is a unique exponent e such
that re = a in Zp, that is, re mod p = a.
Definition: Suppose that p is prime, r is a primitive root modulo p, and a is
an integer between 1 and p −1, inclusive. If re mod p = a and 1≤e≤p
− 1, we say that e is the discrete logarithm of a modulo p to the base r and
we write logr a = e (where the prime p is understood).
Example 1: We write log2 3 = 8 since the discrete logarithm of 3 modulo 11 to the
base 2 is 8 as 28 = 3 modulo 11.
Example 2: We write log2 5 = 4 since the discrete logarithm of 5 modulo 11 to the
base 2 is 4 as 24 = 5 modulo 11.
There is no known polynomial time algorithm for computing the
discrete logarithm of a modulo p to the base r (when given the prime p,
a root r modulo p, and a positive integer a ∊Zp). The problem plays a
role in cryptography as will be discussed in Section 4.6.
Applications of
Congruences
Section 4.5
Section Summary
● Hashing Functions
● Pseudorandom Numbers
● Check Digits
Hashing Functions
Definition: A hashing function h assigns memory location h(k) to the record that has k as
its key.
● A common hashing function is h(k) = k mod m, where m is the number of memory
locations.
● Because this hashing function is onto, all memory locations are possible.
Example: Let h(k) = k mod 111. This hashing function assigns the records of customers
with social security numbers as keys to memory locations in the following manner:
h(064212848) = 064212848 mod 111 = 14
h(037149212) = 037149212 mod 111 = 65
h(107405723) = 107405723 mod 111 = 14, but since location 14 is already occupied, the record is assigned to
the next available position, which is 15.
● The hashing function is not one-to-one as there are many more possible keys than
memory locations. When more than one record is assigned to the same location, we
say a collision occurs. Here a collision has been resolved by assigning the record to the
first free location.
● For collision resolution, we can use a linear probing function:
h(k,i) = (h(k) + i) mod m, where i runs from 0 to m − 1.
● There are many other methods of handling with collisions. You may cover these in a
later CS course.
Pseudorandom Numbers
● Randomly chosen numbers are needed for many purposes, including
computer simulations.
● Pseudorandom numbers are not truly random since they are generated by
systematic methods.
● The linear congruential method is one commonly used procedure for
generating pseudorandom numbers.
● Four integers are needed: the modulus m, the multiplier a, the increment
c, and seed x0, with 2 ≤ a < m, 0 ≤ c < m, 0 ≤ x0 < m.
● We generate a sequence of pseudorandom numbers {xn}, with 0
≤ xn < m for all n, by successively using the recursively defined function
xn+1 = (axn + c) mod m.

(an example of a recursive definition, discussed in Section 5.3)

● If psudorandom numbers between 0 and 1 are needed, then the
generated numbers are divided by the modulus, xn /m.
Pseudorandom Numbers
● Example: Find the sequence of pseudorandom numbers generated by the linear congruential
method with modulus m = 9, multiplier a = 7, increment c = 4, and seed x0 = 3.
● Solution: Compute the terms of the sequence by successively using the congruence xn+1 =
(7xn + 4) mod 9, with x0 = 3.
x1 = 7x0 + 4 mod 9 = 7·3 + 4 mod 9 = 25 mod 9 = 7,
x2 = 7x1 + 4 mod 9 = 7·7 + 4 mod 9 = 53 mod 9 = 8,
x3 = 7x2 + 4 mod 9 = 7·8 + 4 mod 9 = 60 mod 9 = 6,
x4 = 7x3 + 4 mod 9 = 7·6 + 4 mod 9 = 46 mod 9 = 1,
x5 = 7x4 + 4 mod 9 = 7·1 + 4 mod 9 = 11 mod 9 = 2,
x6 = 7x5 + 4 mod 9 = 7·2 + 4 mod 9 = 18 mod 9 = 0,
x7 = 7x6 + 4 mod 9 = 7·0 + 4 mod 9 = 4 mod 9 = 4,
x8 = 7x7 + 4 mod 9 = 7·4 + 4 mod 9 = 32 mod 9 = 5,
x9 = 7x8 + 4 mod 9 = 7·5 + 4 mod 9 = 39 mod 9 = 3.
The sequence generated is 3,7,8,6,1,2,0,4,5,3,7,8,6,1,2,0,4,5,3,…
It repeats after generating 9 terms.
● Commonly, computers use a linear congruential generator with increment c = 0. This is called
a pure multiplicative generator. Such a generator with modulus 231 − 1 and multiplier 75 =
16,807 generates 231 − 2 numbers before repeating.
Check Digits: UPCs
● A common method of detecting errors in strings of digits is to add an extra digit at
the end, which is evaluated using a function. If the final digit is not correct, then
the string is assumed not to be correct.
Example: Retail products are identified by their Universal Product Codes (UPCs).
Usually these have 12 decimal digits, the last one being the check digit. The check
digit is determined by the congruence:
3x1 + x2 + 3x3 + x4 + 3x5 + x6 + 3x7 + x8 + 3x9 + x10 + 3x11 + x12 ≡ 0 (mod 10).
a. Suppose that the first 11 digits of the UPC are 79357343104. What is the check digit?
b. Is 041331021641 a valid UPC?
Solution:
a. 3·7 + 9 + 3·3 + 5 + 3·7 + 3 + 3·4 + 3 + 3·1 + 0 + 3·4 + x12 ≡ 0 (mod 10)
21 + 9 + 9 + 5 + 21 + 3 + 12+ 3 + 3 + 0 + 12 + x12 ≡ 0 (mod 10)
98 + x12 ≡ 0 (mod 10)
x12 ≡ 2 (mod 10) So, the check digit is 2.
b. 3·0 + 4 + 3·1 + 3 + 3·3 + 1 + 3·0 + 2 + 3·1 + 6 + 3·4 + 1 ≡ 0 (mod 10)
0 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 0+ 2 + 3 + 6 + 12 + 1 = 44 ≡ 4 ≢ 0 (mod 10)
Hence, 041331021641 is not a valid UPC.
Check Digits:ISBNs
Books are identified by an International Standard Book Number (ISBN-10), a 10 digit code. The first 9 digits identify the language, the
publisher, and the book. The tenth digit is a check digit, which is determined by the following congruence

The validity of an ISBN-10 number can be evaluated with the equivalent

a. Suppose that the first 9 digits of the ISBN-10 are 007288008. What is the check digit?
b. Is 084930149X a valid ISBN10?
X is used
Solution:
a. X10 ≡ 1·0 + 2·0 + 3·7 + 4·2 + 5·8 + 6·8 + 7· 0 + 8·0 + 9·8 (mod 11). for the digit
X10 ≡ 0 + 0 + 21 + 8 + 40 + 48 + 0 + 0 + 72 (mod 11). 10.
X10 ≡ 189 ≡ 2 (mod 11). Hence, X10 = 2.
b. 1·0 + 2·8 + 3·4 + 4·9 + 5·3 + 6·0 + 7· 1 + 8·4 + 9·9 + 10·10 =
0 + 16 + 12 + 36 + 15 + 0 + 7 + 32 + 81 + 100 = 299 ≡ 2 ≢ 0 (mod 11)
Hence, 084930149X is not a valid ISBN-10.

● A single error is an error in one digit of an identification number and a transposition error is the accidental interchanging
of two digits. Both of these kinds of errors can be detected by the check digit for ISBN-10. (see text for more details)
Cryptography
Section 4.6
Section Summary
● Classical Cryptography
● Cryptosystems
● Public Key Cryptography
● RSA Cryptosystem
● Crytographic Protocols
● Primitive Roots and Discrete Logarithms
Caesar Cipher
Julius Caesar created secret messages by shifting each letter three letters forward in
the alphabet (sending the last three letters to the first three letters.) For example, the
letter B is replaced by E and the letter X is replaced by A. This process of making a
message secret is an example of encryption.
Here is how the encryption process works:
● Replace each letter by an integer from Z26, that is an integer from 0 to 25 representing one
less than its position in the alphabet.
● The encryption function is f(p) = (p + 3) mod 26. It replaces each integer p in the set {0,1,2,
…,25} by f(p) in the set {0,1,2,…,25} .
● Replace each integer p by the letter with the position p + 1 in the alphabet.
Example: Encrypt the message “MEET YOU IN THE PARK” using the Caesar cipher.
Solution: 12 4 4 19 24 14 20 8 13 19 7 4 15 0 17 10.
Now replace each of these numbers p by f(p) = (p + 3) mod 26.
15 7 7 22 1 17 23 11 16 22 10 7 18 3 20 13.
Translating the numbers back to letters produces the encrypted message
“PHHW BRX LQ WKH SDUN.”
Caesar Cipher
● To recover the original message, use f−1(p) = (p−3) mod 26. So,
each letter in the coded message is shifted back three letters in the
alphabet, with the first three letters sent to the last three letters.
This process of recovering the original message from the
encrypted message is called decryption.
● The Caesar cipher is one of a family of ciphers called shift
ciphers. Letters can be shifted by an integer k, with 3 being
just one possibility. The encryption function is
f(p) = (p + k) mod 26
and the decryption function is
f−1(p) = (p−k) mod 26
The integer k is called a key.
Shift Cipher
Example 1: Encrypt the message “STOP GLOBAL
WARMING” using the shift cipher with k = 11.
Solution: Replace each letter with the corresponding
element of Z26.
18 19 14 15 6 11 14 1 0 11 22 0 17 12 8 13 6.
Apply the shift f(p) = (p + 11) mod 26, yielding
3 4 25 0 17 22 25 12 11 22 7 11 2 23 19 24 17.
Translating the numbers back to letters produces the
ciphertext
“DEZA RWZMLW HLCXTYR.”
Shift Cipher
Example 2: Decrypt the message “LEWLYPLUJL PZ H
NYLHA ALHJOLY” that was encrypted using the shift
cipher with k = 7.
Solution: Replace each letter with the corresponding
element of Z26.
11 4 22 11 24 15 11 20 9 11 15 25 7 13 24 11 7 0 0 11 7 9 14 11 24.
Shift each of the numbers by −k = −7 modulo 26, yielding
4 23 15 4 17 8 4 13 2 4 8 18 0 6 17 4 0 19 19 4 0 2 7 4 17.
Translating the numbers back to letters produces the
decrypted message
“EXPERIENCE IS A GREAT TEACHER.”
Affine Ciphers
● Shift ciphers are a special case of affine ciphers which use functions of the form
f(p) = (ap + b) mod 26,
where a and b are integers, chosen so that f is a bijection.
The function is a bijection if and only if gcd(a,26) = 1.
● Example: What letter replaces the letter K when the function f(p) = (7p + 3)
mod 26 is used for encryption.
Solution: Since 10 represents K, f(10) = (7·10 + 3) mod 26 =21, which is then
replaced by V.
● To decrypt a message encrypted by a shift cipher, the congruence c ≡ ap + b
(mod 26) needs to be solved for p.
● Subtract b from both sides to obtain c− b ≡ ap (mod 26).
● Multiply both sides by the inverse of a modulo 26, which exists since gcd(a,26) = 1.
● ā(c− b) ≡ āap (mod 26), which simplifies to ā(c− b) ≡ p (mod 26).
● p ≡ ā(c− b) (mod 26) is used to determine p in Z26.
Cryptanalysis of Affine Ciphers
● The process of recovering plaintext from ciphertext without knowledge both of the
encryption method and the key is known as cryptanalysis or breaking codes.
● An important tool for cryptanalyzing ciphertext produced with a affine ciphers is the
relative frequencies of letters. The nine most common letters in the English texts are E
13%, T 9%, A 8%, O 8%, I 7%, N 7%, S 7%, H 6%, and R 6%.
● To analyze ciphertext:
● Find the frequency of the letters in the ciphertext.
● Hypothesize that the most frequent letter is produced by encrypting E.
● If the value of the shift from E to the most frequent letter is k, shift the ciphertext by −k
and see if it makes sense.
● If not, try T as a hypothesis and continue.
● Example: We intercepted the message “ZNK KGXRE HOXJ MKZY ZNK CUXS” that
we know was produced by a shift cipher. Let’s try to cryptanalyze.
● Solution: The most common letter in the ciphertext is K. So perhaps the letters were
shifted by 6 since this would then map E to K. Shifting the entire message by −6 gives us
“THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM.”
Block Ciphers
● Ciphers that replace each letter of the alphabet by another letter are
called character or monoalphabetic ciphers.
● They are vulnerable to cryptanalysis based on letter frequency. Block
ciphers avoid this problem, by replacing blocks of letters with other
blocks of letters.
● A simple type of block cipher is called the transposition cipher. The key
is a permutation σ of the set {1,2,…,m}, where m is an integer, that is a
one-to-one function from {1,2,…,m} to itself.
● To encrypt a message, split the letters into blocks of size m, adding
additional letters to fill out the final block. We encrypt p1,p2,…,pm as
c1,c2,…,cm = pσ(1),pσ(2),…,pσ(m).
● To decrypt the c1,c2,…,cm transpose the letters using the inverse
permutation σ−1.
Block Ciphers
Example: Using the transposition cipher based on the
permutation σ of the set {1,2,3,4} with σ(1) = 3, σ(2) = 1, σ(3)
= 4, σ(4) = 2,
a. Encrypt the plaintext PIRATE ATTACK
b. Decrypt the ciphertext message SWUE TRAEOEHS, which was
encryted using the same cipher.
Solution:
a. Split into four blocks PIRA TEAT TACK.
Apply the permutation σ giving IAPR ETTA AKTC.
b. σ−1 : σ −1(1) = 2, σ −1(2) = 4, σ −1(3) = 1, σ −1(4) = 3.
Apply the permutation σ−1 giving USEW ATER HOSE.
Split into words to obtain USE WATER HOSE.
Cryptosystems
Definition: A cryptosystem is a five-tuple (P,C,K,E,D), where
● P is the set of plainntext strings,
● C is the set of ciphertext strings,
● K is the keyspace (set of all possible keys),
● E is the set of encription functions, and
● D is the set of decryption functions.

● The encryption function in E corresponding to the key k is

denoted by Ek and the decription function in D that decrypts
cipher text enrypted using Ek is denoted by Dk. Therefore:
Dk(Ek(p)) = p, for all plaintext strings p.
Cryptosystems
Example: Describe the family of shift ciphers as a cryptosystem.
Solution: Assume the messages are strings consisting of
elements in Z26.
● P is the set of strings of elements in Z26,

● C is the set of strings of elements in Z26,

● K = Z26,

● E consists of functions of the form Ek (p) =

(p + k) mod 26 , and
● D is the same as E where Dk (p) = (p − k) mod 26 .
Public Key Cryptography
● All classical ciphers, including shift and affine ciphers, are
private key cryptosystems. Knowing the encryption key
allows one to quickly determine the decryption key.
● All parties who wish to communicate using a private key
cryptosystem must share the key and keep it a secret.
● In public key cryptosystems, first invented in the 1970s,
knowing how to encrypt a message does not help one to
decrypt the message. Therefore, everyone can have a
publicly known encryption key. The only key that needs
to be kept secret is the decryption key.
 Clifford Cocks
(Born 1950)
The RSA Cryptosystem
● A public key cryptosystem, now known as the RSA system was
introduced in 1976 by three researchers at MIT.

Leonard
Ronald Rivest Adi Shamir Adelman
(Born 1948) (Born 1952) (Born 1945)

● It is now known that the method was discovered earlier by Clifford

Cocks, working secretly for the UK government.
● The public encryption key is (n,e), where n = pq (the modulus) is the
product of two large (200 digits) primes p and q, and an exponent e
that is relatively prime to (p−1)(q −1). The two large primes can be
quickly found using probabilistic primality tests, discussed earlier. But n =
pq, with approximately 400 digits, cannot be factored in a reasonable length
of time.
RSA Encryption
● To encrypt a message using RSA using a key (n,e) :
i. Translate the plaintext message M into sequences of two digit integers representing
the letters. Use 00 for A, 01 for B, etc.
ii. Concatenate the two digit integers into strings of digits.
iii. Divide this string into equally sized blocks of 2N digits where 2N is the largest even
number 2525…25 with 2N digits that does not exceed n.
iv. The plaintext message M is now a sequence of integers m1,m2,…,mk.
v. Each block (an integer) is encrypted using the function C = Me mod n.

Example: Encrypt the message STOP using the RSA cryptosystem with key(2537,13).
● 2537 = 43· 59,
● p = 43 and q = 59 are primes and gcd(e,(p−1)(q −1)) = gcd(13, 42· 58) = 1.
Solution: Translate the letters in STOP to their numerical equivalents 18 19 14 15.
● Divide into blocks of four digits (because 2525 < 2537 < 252525) to obtain 1819 1415.
● Encrypt each block using the mapping C = M13 mod 2537.
● Since 181913 mod 2537 = 2081 and 141513 mod 2537 = 2182, the encrypted message is 2081
2182.
RSA Decryption
● To decrypt a RSA ciphertext message, the decryption key d, an inverse of e
modulo (p−1)(q −1) is needed. The inverse exists since gcd(e,(p−1)(q −1)) =
gcd(13, 42· 58) = 1.
● With the decryption key d, we can decrypt each block with the computation M=
C mod p·q. (see text for full derivation)
d

● RSA works as a public key system since the only known method of finding d
is based on a factorization of n into primes. There is currently no known
feasible method for factoring large numbers into primes.
Example: The message 0981 0461 is received. What is the decrypted message
if it was encrypted using the RSA cipher from the previous example.
Solution: The message was encrypted with n = 43· 59 and exponent 13. An inverse
of 13 modulo 42· 58 = 2436 (exercise 2 in Section 4.4) is d = 937.
● To decrypt a block C, M = C937 mod 2537.
● Since 0981937 mod 2537 = 0704 and 0461937 mod 2537 = 1115, the decrypted message is
0704 1115. Translating back to English letters, the message is HELP.
Cryptographic Protocols: Key
Exchange
● Cryptographic protocols are exchanges of messages carried out by two or more parties to
achieve a particular security goal.
● Key exchange is a protocol by which two parties can exchange a secret key over an insecure
channel without having any past shared secret information. Here the Diffe-Hellman
key agreement protcol is described by example.
i. Suppose that Alice and Bob want to share a common key.
ii. Alice and Bob agree to use a prime p and a primitive root a of p.
iii. Alice chooses a secret integer k1 and sends ak1 mod p to Bob.
iv. Bob chooses a secret integer k2 and sends ak2 mod p to Alice.
v. Alice computes (ak2)k1 mod p.
vi. Bob computes (ak1)k2 mod p.

At the end of the protocol, Alice and Bob have their shared key
(ak2)k1 mod p = (ak1)k2 mod p.
● To find the secret information from the public information would require the adversary to
find k1 and k2 from ak1 mod p and ak2 mod p respectively. This is an instance of the
discrete logarithm problem, considered to be computationally infeasible when p and a are
sufficiently large.
Cryptographic Protocols: Digital
Signatures
Adding a digital signature to a message is a way of ensuring the recipient
that the message came from the purported sender.
● Suppose that Alice’s RSA public key is (n,e) and her private key is d.
Alice encrypts a plain text message x using E(n,e) (x)= xd mod n. She
decrypts a ciphertext message y using D(n,e) (y)= yd mod n.
● Alice wants to send a message M so that everyone who receives the
message knows that it came from her.
1. She translates the message to numerical equivalents and splits into
blocks, just as in RSA encryption.
2. She then applies her decryption function D(n,e) to the blocks and sends the
results to all intended recipients.
3. The recipients apply Alice’s encryption function and the result is the
original plain text since E(n,e) (D(n,e) (x))= x.
Everyone who receives the message can then be certain that it came
from Alice.
Cryptographic Protocols: Digital
Signatures
Example: Suppose Alice’s RSA cryptosystem is the same as in the earlier
example with key(2537,13), 2537 = 43· 59, p = 43 and q = 59 are primes and
gcd(e,(p−1)(q −1)) = gcd(13, 42· 58) = 1.
Her decryption key is d = 937.
She wants to send the message “MEET AT NOON” to her friends so that they
can be certain that the message is from her.
Solution: Alice translates the message into blocks of digits 1204 0419 0019 1314
1413.
1. She then applies her decryption transformation D(2537,13) (x)= x937 mod 2537 to each
block.
2. She finds (using her laptop, programming skills, and knowledge of discrete
mathematics) that 1204937 mod 2537 = 817, 419937 mod 2537 = 555 , 19937 mod 2537 =
1310, 1314937 mod 2537 = 2173, and 1413937 mod 2537 = 1026.
3. She sends 0817 0555 1310 2173 1026.
When one of her friends receive the message, they apply Alice’s encryption
transformation E(2537,13) to each block. They then obtain the original message
which they translate back to English letters.