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What is the value of gcd(n,0) for a nonnegative integer n?

For a nonnegative integer nn, the greatest common divisor of nn and 00 is nn itself. This serves as the base case for the Euclidean algorithm, terminating the recursion when the second argument becomes zero.

Conditions

  • nn is a nonnegative integer.
  • The pair is (n,0)(n, 0).

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Recall the definition of divisibility: dd divides 00 for any integer dd.
  2. Identify the common divisors of nn and 00. These are the divisors of nn.
  3. The greatest divisor of nn is nn itself.
  4. Therefore, gcd⁡(n,0)=n\gcd(n,0) = n.
  5. This case stops the Euclidean algorithm loop.

Example

The script states: 'For nonnegative n, gcd(n,0)=n.'

Common misconceptions

  • Believing that gcd⁡(n,0)\gcd(n,0) is 0.
  • Thinking that the algorithm cannot handle zero as an input.
  • Confusing gcd⁡(n,0)\gcd(n,0) with gcd⁡(0,0)\gcd(0,0), which is typically undefined or defined as 0 depending on context, but here nn is nonnegative and the algorithm terminates at the non-zero value.

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