Online Course Discussion Forum

Question 6.27 HW

 
 
Picture of Andy Gao
Question 6.27 HW
by Andy Gao - Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 7:55 PM
 

Suppose a sequence has recursive def a1 = 2 and an+1 = 4^an (mod 11). Find a100. I feel I am close to the answer but not really. I know it is similar to question 6.7 which was done in class, but if someone could explain it to me I would be most appreciative. Thanks

 
Picture of John Lensmire
Re: Question 6.27 HW
by John Lensmire - Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 10:18 AM
 

Good question! In fact, this problem is much easier than 6.7 from the examples because of a minor (but important) difference in the sequence definitions.

In 6.7, the sequence is $a_1 = 1$ and $a_{n+1} = 3^{a_n}$. This means the first few terms of the sequence are$$1, 3, 9, 27, 81, \ldots$$The problem then asks us to calculate $a_{10} \pmod{7}$.

However, in 6.27, we take the mod as part of the sequence, meaning the first few terms are $2, 5, 1, \ldots$. As a hint, think about how this helps us look for a pattern.