Skip to main content
OlympiadHQ

Browse · MATH

Print

jmc

number theory intermediate

Problem

As ranges over the positive integers, what is the maximum possible value for the greatest common divisor of and ?
Solution
We use the Euclidean Algorithm. Therefore, if is a multiple of 7, then the greatest common divisor of and is 7. Otherwise, the greatest common divisor is 1. This implies that the maximum possible value for the greatest common divisor of and is .
Final answer
7