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jmc

number theory senior

Problem

What is the greatest common divisor of and ?
Solution
Let and . By the Euclidean Algorithm, and using the difference of squares factorization, We notice that has a units digit of , has a units digit of , and has a units digit of , so that has the units digit of , namely . It follows that is divisible by . However, is not divisible by : any perfect square not divisible by leaves a remainder of upon division by , as . Since is divisible by while and are not, it follows that leaves a remainder of upon division by . Thus, the answer is .
Final answer
5