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Number theory Difficulty 6.2 National olympiad Prove it Ukraine

Find all positive integers nn, and prime numbers p,qp, q, which satisfy the equation
n3=p3+2p2q+2pq2+q3. n^3 = p^3 + 2p^2q + 2pq^2 + q^3.

Solution

We rewrite the equation as follows.
n3=p3+2p2q+2pq2+q3=(p+q)(p2+pq+q2) n^3 = p^3 + 2p^2q + 2pq^2 + q^3 = (p+q)(p^2 + pq + q^2)
Clearly, pqp \neq q, because, otherwise, the equation n3=6p3n^3 = 6p^3 would hold, which is not possible for positive integers.
Suppose there exists such s>1s > 1, which is a factor of both p+qp+q and (p2+pq+q2)(p^2 + pq + q^2). But then s(p+q)2(p2+pq+q2)=pqs \mid (p+q)^2 - (p^2 + pq + q^2) = pq. If, for example, sps \mid p, then from s(p+q)s \mid (p+q) follows sqs \mid q \Rightarrow from p,qp, q being prime, it must be that p=qp = q, which leads to contradiction.
If, on the other hand, ((p+q),(p2+pq+q2))=1((p+q), (p^2 + pq + q^2)) = 1, then each factor must be a cube of a positive integer. Suppose p+q=x3p+q = x^3, p2+pq+q2=y3p^2 + pq + q^2 = y^3, and n=xyn = xy. Then,
pq=(p+q)2(p2+pq+q2)=x6y3=(x2y)(x4+x2y+y2). pq = (p+q)^2 - (p^2 + pq + q^2) = x^6 - y^3 = (x^2 - y)(x^4 + x^2y + y^2).
Since x4+x2y+y2>x3=p+qx^4 + x^2y + y^2 > x^3 = p+q, we obtain x4+x2y+y2=pqx^4 + x^2y + y^2 = pq and x2y=1pq=x4+x2(x21)+(x21)2=3x43x2+1=3x2(x1)(x+1)+11(mod9)x^2 - y = 1 \Rightarrow pq = x^4 + x^2(x^2-1) + (x^2-1)^2 = 3x^4 - 3x^2 + 1 = 3x^2(x-1)(x+1) + 1 \equiv 1 \pmod 9, since x(x1)(x+1)≢3(mod9)x(x-1)(x+1) \not\equiv 3 \pmod 9.
What is left is to search through the cases modulo 9. Cube of an integer modulo 9 can be equal to 0, \pm 1. Let us list all possible cases for remainders modulo 9 of primes p,qp, q so that condition pq1(mod9)pq \equiv 1 \pmod 9 is satisfied.
p1(mod9)q1(mod9)x3=p+q2(mod9){ – contradiction.} p \equiv 1 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow q \equiv 1 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow x^3 = p+q \equiv 2 \pmod 9 \{\text{ -- contradiction.}\}
p2(mod9)q5(mod9)x3=p+q7(mod9){ – contradiction.} p \equiv 2 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow q \equiv 5 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow x^3 = p+q \equiv 7 \pmod 9 \{\text{ -- contradiction.}\}
p4(mod9)q7(mod9)x3=p+q2(mod9){ – contradiction.} p \equiv 4 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow q \equiv 7 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow x^3 = p+q \equiv 2 \pmod 9 \{\text{ -- contradiction.}\}
p8(mod9)q8(mod9)x3=p+q7(mod9){ – contradiction.} p \equiv 8 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow q \equiv 8 \pmod 9 \Rightarrow x^3 = p+q \equiv 7 \pmod 9 \{\text{ -- contradiction.}\}
All the cases were checked, which concludes the proof that such numbers do not exist.

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