I'd left question 2 and thought I should come back to it...
Question 2
(a) List the values of
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_n)
for
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white n \leqslant 12)
and note the pattern of the even terms in the sequence. State a theorem related to generalise this pattern and prove it
without using induction.
(b) Use induction to show that all terms of the form
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{4k})
are divisible by 3.
(c) Prove that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12k})
is a multiple of 12. You may use the fact that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{6k} = 8F_{6k-5} + 5F_{6k-6})
.
Solution to 2(a)
What I intended was that
And the even terms, that is, the terms that are even, are
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_0 = 0)
,
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_3 = 2)
,
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_6 = 8)
,
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_9 = 34)
, and
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12} = 144)
. The pattern I sought was that terms of the form
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{3n}, n \in \mathbb{N})
, are even. This can easily proven by induction, but also by noting that the terms follow a pattern of even - odd - odd - even - odd - odd - even - odd - odd - etc. Using the recursive formula from
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_2)
, and noting that
Hence:
and the pattern will continue...
Solution to 2(b)
Theorem: ![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{4k})
is divisible by 3 for all
Proof: By induction on
A Put
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k = 1)
:
B Put
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white j)
be a value of
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k)
for which the result is true,
That is, let
We must now prove the result for
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k=j+1)
.
That is, we must prove that
So, if the result is true for
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k = j)
, then it follows that the result is also true for
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k = j + 1)
.
C It follows from
A and
B by the process of mathematical induction that the result is true for all positive integers
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k)
.
Solution to 2(c)
The theorem that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12k})
must be a multiple of 12 (for all positive integers
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k)
) can be done in exactly the same way as (b), but deriving the necessary result in part
B of the proof is long. It can be shortened by using the given result, but there is a better option still.
We have seen that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{3k})
is divisible by 2 and that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{4k})
is divisible by 3, and
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12k} = F_{4(3k)})
so
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12k})
must be divisible by 3 (and also by 2). Any integer
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white N)
that is divisible by both
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white a)
and
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white b)
must be divisible by
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white ab)
so long as
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white a)
and
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white b)
are coprime. Our given result points to finding a property of
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{6k})
, which is that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{6k})
is divisible by 4.
Theorem: ![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{6k})
is divisible by 4 for all
Proof: By induction on
A Put
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k = 1)
:
B Put
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white j)
be a value of
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k)
for which the result is true,
That is, let
We must now prove the result for
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k=j+1)
.
That is, we must prove that
So, if the result is true for
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k = j)
, then it follows that the result is also true for
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k = j + 1)
.
C It follows from
A and
B by the process of mathematical induction that the result is true for all positive integers
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white k)
.
We know that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12k}=F_{4(3k)})
is divisible by 3 from part (b).
We now know that
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12k}=F_{6(2k)})
is divisible by 4 from the above induction proof.
3 and 4 are coprime, they share no common factors except for 1, and so
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white F_{12k})
is divisible by
![](https://latex.codecogs.com/png.latex?\bg_white 3 \times 4 = 12)
, as required.