Prove that the square of an odd number is always 1 more than a multiple of 4

In order to prove this we can write a general expression of an odd number in terms of n, e.g - 2n+1Square this 'odd number': (2n+1)^2, therefore you can write it as (2n+1)(2n+1), then expand (multiply out) the brackets to get: 4n^2 + 4n + 1We can then factorise this to get: 4(n^2 + 1) + 1 which is 'one more than a multiple of 4' as 4(n^2 + 1) will always be a multiple of 4 regardless of what n is.

BH
Answered by Ben H. Maths tutor

3222 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How would I find the nth term of this sequence? 15, 18, 21, 24, ...


Find the interval for which x^2 - 7x + 10 </= 0


Solve the simultaneous equations 3x + y = –4 and 3x – 4y = 6


write (x+2)(x+3)(x+5) in the form ax^3+bx^2+cx+d


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning