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jmc

number theory senior

Problem

What is the average of the two smallest positive integer solutions to the congruence
Solution
Note that , , and all have a common factor of , so we can divide it out: the solutions to are identical to the solutions to Make sure you see why this is the case.

Now we can multiply both sides of the congruence by to obtain which also has the same solutions as the previous congruence, since we could reverse the step above by multiplying both sides by . (We know that exists modulo because and are relatively prime.)

Replacing each side of by a equivalent, we have and thus This is the set of solutions to our original congruence. The two smallest positive solutions are and . Their average is .
Final answer
64