Prove that for any distinct primes p and

Logan Wyatt

Logan Wyatt

Answered question

2022-07-15

Prove that for any distinct primes p and q, the ratio p q is irrational.

Answer & Explanation

trantegisis

trantegisis

Beginner2022-07-16Added 20 answers

Suppose that you can write p q Where p and q are primes and a, b are rational numbers and that a b cannot be reduced.
Then p q = a 2 b 2
(1) p q b 2 = a 2
Then a is a multiple of pq.
(2) a = k p q
Insert (2) in (1): p q b 2 = ( k p q ) 2
p q b 2 = k 2 p 2 q 2
Divide by p q :
b 2 = k 2 p q
We see that both b and a have common factors, but due to our initial statement that b and p have no common factors, p q is not rrational.

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