Co-prime Number Selection in Range

XAT 2025 · Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation · Medium · Number Systems

Arun selected an integer xx between 2 and 40, both inclusive. He noticed that the greatest common divisor of the selected integer xx and any other integer between 2 and 40, both inclusive, is 1. How many different choices for such an xx are possible?

  1. A.

    4

  2. B.

    8

  3. C.

    1

  4. D.

    12

  5. E.

    0

Answer

A

Explanation

For gcd⁡(x,y)=1\gcd(x, y) = 1 for ALL y∈[2,40]y \in [2, 40] with y≠xy \neq x, xx must not share any prime factor with any other integer in [2,40][2, 40]. This means xx must be a prime number pp such that no multiple of pp exists in [2,40][2, 40]. That requires 2p>40  ⟹  p>202p > 40 \implies p > 20. The prime numbers between 20 and 40 are 23, 29, 31, and 37. There are 4 such choices.

Related Number Systems questions

Practise this under exam conditions

Sign in to solve it with a live timer, the on-screen CAT calculator, and streak and accuracy tracking across every question you attempt.

Solve in the workspace