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Number theory Difficulty 4.8 AIME Prove it Ireland

Find all positive integers nn for which both 837+n837 + n and 837n837 - n are cubes of positive integers.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

We need to find all positive integers nn for which there exist positive integers x,yx, y so that 837+n=x3837 + n = x^3 and 837n=y3837 - n = y^3. Adding these equations gives
1674=x3+y3=(x+y)(x2xy+y2). 1674 = x^3 + y^3 = (x + y)(x^2 - x y + y^2).
Let u=x+yu = x + y and v=x2xy+y2=(x+y)23xy=u23xyv = x^2 - x y + y^2 = (x + y)^2 - 3 x y = u^2 - 3 x y, then 3xy=u2v3 x y = u^2 - v and we see that uu is divisible by 33 if and only if vv is divisible by 33.

As 1674=23331=uv1674 = 2 \cdot 3^3 \cdot 31 = u \cdot v, there exist positive integers u1u_1 and v1v_1 such that u=3u1u = 3 u_1 and v=3v1v = 3 v_1. The above equations translate into
186=u1v1,x+y=3u1,xy=3u12v1. 186 = u_1 v_1, \quad x + y = 3 u_1, \quad x y = 3 u_1^2 - v_1.
As x,y>0x, y > 0 we get 3u12>v13 u_1^2 > v_1, hence 3u13>u1v1=1863 u_1^3 > u_1 v_1 = 186 and so u14u_1 \ge 4. On the other hand, the AM-GM inequality gives (x+y)24xy(x + y)^2 \ge 4 x y, which translates into 9u1212u124v19 u_1^2 \ge 12 u_1^2 - 4 v_1, i.e. 4v13u12>4u14 v_1 \ge 3 u_1^2 > 4 u_1, the last inequality because 3u1>43 u_1 > 4.

The factors of 186186 are 1,2,3,6,31,62,93,1861, 2, 3, 6, 31, 62, 93, 186. Using v1>u14v_1 > u_1 \ge 4 we see that we must have u1=6u_1 = 6 and v1=31v_1 = 31. This leads to x+y=18x + y = 18 and xy=77x y = 77 from which we obtain the quadratic equation x218x+77=0x^2 - 18 x + 77 = 0. The two solutions are 1111 and 77. As n>0n > 0 we have x>yx > y and so (x,y)=(11,7)(x, y) = (11, 7). Therefore, n=83773=113837=494n = 837 - 7^3 = 11^3 - 837 = 494.

Solution 2

We need to find all positive integers nn for which there exist positive integers x,yx, y so that 837+n=x3837 + n = x^3 and 837n=y3837 - n = y^3. From n>0n > 0 and y>0y > 0 we obtain 1n8361 \le n \le 836. This implies that 838x3=837+n1673838 \le x^3 = 837 + n \le 1673. Because 93=729<8389^3 = 729 < 838 and 1673<1728=1231673 < 1728 = 12^3 we can only have x=10x = 10 or x=11x = 11. If x=10x = 10, we obtain n=x3837=163n = x^3 - 837 = 163 which implies y3=837n=674y^3 = 837 - n = 674, but this is not the cube of an integer. With x=11x = 11 we find n=x3837=1331837=494n = x^3 - 837 = 1331 - 837 = 494 and y3=837n=837494=343=73y^3 = 837 - n = 837 - 494 = 343 = 7^3, hence y=7y = 7. Therefore, (x,y)=(11,7)(x, y) = (11, 7) is the only solution and n=494n = 494.

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