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Number theory Difficulty 4.8 AIME Prove it Ireland

A certain country is taking part in the IMO this year for the 24th time. The team would like to mark the occasion by finding positive integers n1,,n24n_1, \dots, n_{24} such that
n124+n224++n2424=20152015. n_1^{24} + n_2^{24} + \dots + n_{24}^{24} = 2015^{2015}.
Determine whether or not such a set of numbers exists.

Solution

0.
We first claim that if nn is odd, then n2k1(mod2k+2)n^{2k} \equiv 1 \pmod{2^{k+2}}. This can be verified inductively: first prove it for k=1k=1, and the inductive step reduces to checking that (1+2k+2)21(1+2^{k+2})^2-1 is divisible by 2k+32^{k+3}.
It follows that n24=(n3)8n^{24} = (n^3)^8 is congruent to either 0 or 1 (mod 32), depending on whether nn is even or odd. Thus the desired left-hand side sum can only have remainder between 0 and 24 inclusive modulo 32, but not 1-1.
Now, 2000 is a multiple of 16 but not a multiple of 32, so 20151(mod32)2015 \equiv -1 \pmod{32}. Thus 201520151(mod32)2015^{2015} \equiv -1 \pmod{32} as well, and there are no solutions of the desired equation.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.