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Forum URL: http://www.cut-the-knot.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/forumctk.cgi
Forum Name: High school
Topic ID: 217
Message ID: 1
#1, RE: integer?
Posted by RicBrad on Dec-11-02 at 01:23 PM
In response to message #0
Expand your original fraction by long division:

2n / (n-4) = 2 + 8 / (n-4)

So we see that this can only be an integer if (n-4) is a factor of 8, and furthermore, it is only a positive integer if 8/(n-4) is greater than or equal to -1.

The factors of 8 are 1,2,4,8 (and -1,-2,-4,-8 for our purposes)

so n = -4,5,6,8,12

> obviously the n must be greater than 4

be careful with what is 'obvious'

Rich