# Solve Linear Diophantine $12x+18y = 54$

## What is asked?

As the title suggests I'm trying to solve a very simple Linear Diophantine Equation: $$12x + 18y = 54$$

Also find an expression for all integer solutions

## What have I done?

• Firstly, I know that $ax+by = c$ has a solution $\iff$ gcd$(a,b \space | \space c)$
• Secondly, I need to compute the gcd $(18,12) = 6$

$$18 = 1 \cdot 12 + 6$$ $$12 = 2 \cdot 6 + 0$$

Therefore, gcd(18,12) = 6

• Does 6 | 54? Yes. Therefore the equation has integral solutions.
• Okay, all good so far. But it's the next stage that sort of stumps me.

So we can rearrange to get: $$6 = 18 - (1 \cdot 12)$$

Now do I multiply through 9? Whats the next step? I also need to do a generalised form for all integers.

I have seen this thread How to find solutions of linear Diophantine ax + by = c?, and it is very helpful but every time I come up with a value for $x$ and $y$ it always makes the LHS = 0. But it obviously needs to = 54.

$$\text{Thank you!}$$

• When I was young, I tried to find two points , then represent the solution as linear equation – openspace May 3 '16 at 7:03
• Yes you multpily by $9$. You arrive at $-12\cdot9+18\cdot9=54$ from where $(x,y)=(-9,9)$ – Aritra Das May 3 '16 at 7:06

## 2 Answers

Another way is to simplify to $$2x+3y=9$$ Modulo 3, $$2x\equiv 0\pmod 3\implies x\equiv 0 \pmod 3\implies x:=3m$$ and modulo 2 $$y \equiv 1 \pmod 2 \implies y:=2n+1$$ $$6m+3(2n+1)=9=6(m+n)+3\implies m+n=1\implies m=1-n$$ Hence, $$x=3-3n,y=2n+1$$ for all integral $n$ is the family of solutions.

You've pretty much got it, you just need to equate coefficients with the Diophantine equation, so the multiplier of 12 becomes $x$ and likewise, the multiplier of 18 becomes $y$

$6=1\times18-1\times12$
$54=9\times18-9\times12$ (multiplying by 9)

$\Rightarrow x=-9, y=9$ (equating coefficients)
that's your solution