Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / ii / Paper 3 / 1G (Number Theory)

The binomial theorem givesThe central binomial coefficient is the largest of these $2n+1$ nonnegative binomial coefficients, so

For the upper bound, fix a prime number $p\le 2n$. By Legendre formula,Each summand is either zero or one. Hence the P-adic valuation satisfiesIf $p\le \sqrt{2n}$, this impliesThere are at most $\sqrt{2n}$ such prime numbers. If instead $p>\sqrt{2n}$, then $p^2>2n$, so the P-adic valuation is at most one. Multiplying the prime-power contributions therefore yields

Write the Chebyshev theta function asTaking natural logarithms in part a givesand henceBecause $\sqrt{n}\log n/n\to 0$, the right-hand side is at least $n/2$ for every sufficiently large integer $n$.

Now let $x$ be sufficiently large and set $n=\lfloor x/2\rfloor$ using the floor function. Then $2n\le x$ and $n\ge x/3$, so the monotonicity of $\vartheta$ gives

Suppose that the positive integer $n$ is a decisive number. For every prime number $p<\sqrt{n}$, the composite number $p^2$ satisfies $1<p^2<n$. It therefore cannot be coprime to $n$, so $p\mid n$.

The product of all prime numbers below $\sqrt{n}$ consequently divides $n$. Taking natural logarithms givesChanging the strict endpoint can remove at most one prime term. By part b, for every sufficiently large $n$ the right-hand side is at least, for example, $\sqrt{n}/13$. This is impossible for sufficiently large $n$, sinceThus every decisive number lies below one fixed bound, and only finitely many integers can do so.