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Algebra Difficulty 5.2 AIME, harder Prove it Saudi Arabia

Find all positive integers nn such that
3n+4n++(n+2)n=(n+3)n. 3^{n} + 4^{n} + \cdots + (n+2)^{n} = (n+3)^{n}.

Solution

Notice first that
32+42=52,and33+43+53=63. 3^{2} + 4^{2} = 5^{2}, \quad \text{and} \quad 3^{3} + 4^{3} + 5^{3} = 6^{3}.
However
34+44+54+64=2258<2401=74 3^{4} + 4^{4} + 5^{4} + 6^{4} = 2258 < 2401 = 7^{4}
Assume that
3n+4n++(n+2)n<(n+3)n 3^{n} + 4^{n} + \cdots + (n+2)^{n} < (n+3)^{n}
for some n4n \geq 4. We have
3n+1+4n+1++(n+2)n+1+(n+3)n+1<(n+2)(3n+4n++(n+2)n)+(n+3)n+1<(n+2)(n+3)n+(n+3)n+1<2(n+3)n+1 \begin{aligned} 3^{n+1} + 4^{n+1} + & \cdots + (n+2)^{n+1} + (n+3)^{n+1} \\ & < (n+2)\left(3^{n} + 4^{n} + \cdots + (n+2)^{n}\right) + (n+3)^{n+1} \\ & < (n+2)(n+3)^{n} + (n+3)^{n+1} < 2(n+3)^{n+1} \end{aligned}
For n=4n=4, we have (n+2)(n+3)n+(n+3)n+1=31213<32768=(n+4)n+1(n+2)(n+3)^{n} + (n+3)^{n+1} = 31213 < 32768 = (n+4)^{n+1}. For n5n \geq 5, we have
(n+4n+3)n+1=(1+1n+3)n+1>1+n+1n+3+n(n+1)2(n+3)2>2+(n5)(n+2)+22(n+3)2>2 \begin{aligned} \left(\frac{n+4}{n+3}\right)^{n+1} &= \left(1 + \frac{1}{n+3}\right)^{n+1} > 1 + \frac{n+1}{n+3} + \frac{n(n+1)}{2(n+3)^{2}} \\ & > 2 + \frac{(n-5)(n+2) + 2}{2(n+3)^{2}} > 2 \end{aligned}
Therefore, 3n+1+4n+1++(n+2)n+1+(n+3)n+1<(n+4)n+13^{n+1} + 4^{n+1} + \cdots + (n+2)^{n+1} + (n+3)^{n+1} < (n+4)^{n+1}.
Hence, we have proved by induction that 3n+4n++(n+2)n<(n+3)n3^{n} + 4^{n} + \cdots + (n+2)^{n} < (n+3)^{n} for all n4n \geq 4.

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