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number theory intermediate
Problem
The Lucas sequence is the sequence 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, where the first term is 1, the second term is 3 and each term after that is the sum of the previous two terms. What is the remainder when the term of the sequence is divided by 8?
Solution
We can look at the terms of the Lucas sequence modulo 8. Since and , the sequence begins repeating at the 13th term, so it repeats every 12 terms. Since the remainder is 4 when we divide 100 by 12, we know . Therefore the remainder when is divided by 8 is .
Final answer
7