0 Preface This set of notes on number theory was originally written in 1995 for students at the IMO level. It covers the basic background material that an IMO student should be familiar with. This text is meant to be a reference, and not a replacement but rather a supplement to a number theory textbook; several are given at the back. Proofs are given when appropriate, or when they illustrate some insight or important idea. The problems are culled from various sources, many from actual contests and olympiads, and in general are very difficult. The author welcomes any corrections or suggestions. 1 Divisibility For integers a and b, we say that a divides b, or that a is a divisor (or factor) of b, or that b is a multiple of a, if there exists an integer c such that b = ca, and we denote this by a | b. Otherwise, a does not divide b, and we denote this by a - b. A positive integer p is a prime if the only divisors of p are 1 and p. If p k | a and p k+1 - a where p is a prime, i.e. p k is the highest power of p dividing a, then we denote this by p kka. Useful Facts • If a, b > 0, and a | b, then a ≤ b. • If a | b1, a | b2, . . . , a | bn, then for any integers c1, c2, . . . , cn, a | Xn i=1 bici . Theorem 1.1. The Division Algorithm. For any positive integer a and integer b, there exist unique integers q and r such that b = qa + r and 0 ≤ r < a, with r = 0 iff a | b.
