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We know that $\gcd(x, y) = d$ as d divides $x$ and $y$, now suppose there are $x'$ and $y'$ integers such that

$$x = d \cdot x' \implies d|x \\y = d \cdot y' \implies d|y$$

then $a \cdot x$ would be

$$ a\cdot x = a \cdot d \cdot x'$$

and so $a \cdot x + y$ equals

$$a \cdot d \cdot x' + d \cdot y' = d(a \cdot x' + y')$$

which is divisible by d and we know that $\gcd(x, y) = d$ , therefore $\gcd(x, y) = \gcd(x, ax + y)$

Thanks in advance.

zv.diego
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4 Answers4

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No, this is not correct.

You showed, that $d|x$ and $d|y$ implies $ d|(ax+y)$. So basically you proven, that $\gcd(x,y)|\gcd(x,ax+y)$. But you still don't know, if $\gcd(x,y)=\gcd(x,ax+y)$.

Try to prove the other direction by assuming $d|x$ and $d|(ax+y)$. This will imply $\gcd(x,ax+y)|\gcd(x,y)$.

Then you are done.

TenaliRaman
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Jakube
  • 1,895
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Hint : What misses in your proof is to show that $\gcd(ax'+y',x')=1$. Can you proceed from here?

To show this consider the following reasoning (by contradiction): Suppose $\gcd(ax'+y',x') \neq 1$ then there exist a natural number $b>1$ such that $b| (ax'+y') $ and $b|x'$. Hence $b|y'$.

But is this possible if $\gcd(x,y)=d$??

sigmatau
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A slightly different way to look at this is as follows:

1) If d|x and d|y, then d|(ax+y) by your argument; so any common divisor of x and y is a common divisor of x and ax+y.

2) Similarly, if d|x and d|(ax+y), then d|y [since x=cd and ax+y=bd gives y=bd-ax=bd-acd=(b-ac)d]; so any common divisor of x and ax+y is a common divisor of x and y.

Since x and y have the same set of common divisors as x and ax+y, gcd(x,y)=gcd(x,ax+y).

user84413
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Here is a proof in a different, more calculational style.

(I'm assuming all variables are integers, and $\;s,t \geq 0\;$.)

We have to prove an equality related to divisibility, so it helps to remember that any non-negative integers $\;s\;$ and $\;t\;$ are equal iff they have the same divisors: $$(0)\;\;\;s = t \;\equiv\; \langle \forall d :: d|s \equiv d|t \rangle$$

Also, the key property of $\;\gcd(x,y)\;$ is that its divisors (and only those) divide both $\;x\;$ and $\;y\;$: $$(1)\;\;\;\langle \forall d :: d|\gcd(x,y) \;\equiv\; d|x \land d|y \rangle$$ (Actually, this could be the definition if we were restricting ourselves to non-negative numbers.)

Translating the original statement using $(0)$ and $(1)$, we are asked to prove $$\langle \forall d :: d|x \land d|y \;\equiv\; d|x \land d|(a \cdot x + y) \rangle$$ or equivalently (by extracting the common conjunct) $$\langle \forall d : d|x : d|y \equiv d|(a \cdot x + y) \rangle$$

The latter we can easily prove, for any $\;d\;$, as follows: \begin{align} & d|y \;\equiv\; d|(a \cdot x + y) \\ \Leftarrow & \;\;\;\;\;\text{"property of divisibility: numbers are equally divisible if their difference is"} \\ & d|(a \cdot x) \\ \Leftarrow & \;\;\;\;\;\text{"property of divisibility: a divisor of a factor also divides the product"} \\ & d|x \\ \end{align} which completes the proof.