Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /11 of 11

Number theory Difficulty 7.0 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Spain

Prove that the equation 2x+21x=y32^x + 21^x = y^3 has no solutions in positive integers and find all the solutions in nonnegative integers of the equation 2x+21y=z22^x+21^y = z^2.

Solution

It is obvious that x1x \ge 1, yy is odd and 21x0(mod7)21^x \equiv 0 \pmod 7. Since 231(mod7)2^3 \equiv 1 \pmod 7 then we have 23n1(mod7)2^{3n} \equiv 1 \pmod 7, 23n+12(mod7)2^{3n+1} \equiv 2 \pmod 7, and 23n+24(mod7)2^{3n+2} \equiv 4 \pmod 7. On the other hand, y30(mod7)y^3 \equiv 0 \pmod 7 or y3±1(mod7)y^3 \equiv \pm 1 \pmod 7. So, on account of the preceding, we have x=3nx = 3n for all positive integer n1n \ge 1. Putting x=3nx = 3n the first equation becomes
23n+213n=y3(y21n)(y2+y21n+212n)=23n 2^{3n} + 21^{3n} = y^3 \Leftrightarrow (y - 21^n)(y^2 + y \cdot 21^n + 21^{2n}) = 2^{3n}
Form the preceding immediately follows that (y2+y21n+212n)23n(y^2 + y \cdot 21^n + 21^{2n}) \mid 2^{3n} and this it is not possible on account that y2+y21n+212n>1y^2 + y \cdot 21^n + 21^{2n} > 1 is an odd positive integer. This completes the proof of the first part of the statement.
To find the solutions in positive integers of the second equation we distinguish the following cases:

1. When x=0x = 0 we have (z1)(z+1)=21y(z - 1)(z + 1) = 21^y. Let d=gcd(z1,z+1)d = \gcd(z - 1, z + 1). Since d21yd|21^y and d(z+1)(z1)=2d|(z + 1) - (z - 1) = 2, then d=1d = 1 and
{z1=1,z+1=21y21y=3 \begin{cases} z - 1 = 1, \\ z + 1 = 21^y \end{cases} \Rightarrow 21^y = 3
which is impossible.

2. When x=1x = 1 we have 2+21y=z22 + 21^y = z^2 which it is not possible because 2+21y2(mod3)2 + 21^y \equiv 2 \pmod 3 and z20(mod3)z^2 \equiv 0 \pmod 3 or z21(mod3)z^2 \equiv 1 \pmod 3.

3. When x=2x = 2 we have (z2)(z+2)=21y(z - 2)(z + 2) = 21^y. Let d=gcd(z2,z+2)d = \gcd(z - 2, z + 2). Since d21yd|21^y and d((z+2)(z2)=4)d|((z + 2) - (z - 2) = 4), then d=1d = 1 and we have
{z2=1,z+2=21yor{z2=3y,z+2=7y \begin{cases} z - 2 = 1, \\ z + 2 = 21^y \end{cases} \quad \text{or} \quad \begin{cases} z - 2 = 3^y, \\ z + 2 = 7^y \end{cases}
In the first case we obtain, after subtraction, 21y=521^y = 5 (impossible). In the second case, we get 7y3y=47^y - 3^y = 4. For y2y \ge 2 we have
7y3y=3y[(73)y1]9[(73)21]>4, 7^y - 3^y = 3^y \left[ \left( \frac{7}{3} \right)^y - 1 \right] \ge 9 \left[ \left( \frac{7}{3} \right)^2 - 1 \right] > 4,
and y=1y = 1 verifies the equation 22+21=522^2 + 21 = 5^2.
When y=0y = 0 we have the equation (z1)(z+1)=2x(z - 1)(z + 1) = 2^x. Let d=(z1,z+1)d = (z - 1, z + 1). Since d2xd|2^x and d(z+1)(z1)=2d|(z + 1) - (z - 1) = 2 then d=2d = 2 because zz is odd. So, we have
{z1=2,z+1=2x1z=3,x=3 \begin{cases} z - 1 = 2, \\ z + 1 = 2^{x-1} \end{cases} \Rightarrow z = 3, x = 3
for which is 23+210=322^3 + 21^0 = 3^2.

4. Finally, assume that x3x \ge 3 and y1y \ge 1 and observe that zz is odd. We prove that yy is even number. Indeed, if y=2p+1y = 2p+1, then on account that 212p1(mod8)21^{2p} \equiv 1 \pmod 8 and 215(mod8)21 \equiv 5 \pmod 8 we have 212p+15(mod8)21^{2p+1} \equiv 5 \pmod 8. So, 2x+21y5(mod8)2^x + 21^y \equiv 5 \pmod 8 and z21(mod8)z^2 \equiv 1 \pmod 8 (impossible). Therefore, y=2py = 2p and then we have 2x=z2212p=(z21p)(z+21p)2^x = z^2 - 21^{2p} = (z - 21^p)(z + 21^p). Let d=(z21p,z+21p)d = (z - 21^p, z + 21^p). Since d2xd|2^x, zz is odd and d(z+21p)(z21p)=221pd|(z + 21^p) - (z - 21^p) = 2 \cdot 21^p, we have
{z21p=2,z+21p=2x1 \begin{cases} z - 21^p = 2, \\ z + 21^p = 2^{x-1} \end{cases}
from which follows 2x12=221p2^{x-1} - 2 = 2 \cdot 21^p or 2x2=1+21p2^{x-2} = 1 + 21^p. When x=3x = 3, we have p=0p = 0. That is, y=0y = 0 in contradiction with y1y \ge 1. For x4x \ge 4, we have 2x20(mod4)2^{x-2} \equiv 0 \pmod 4 and (1+21p)2(mod4)(1 + 21^p) \equiv 2 \pmod 4.
In conclusion, the solutions are x=3,y=0,z=3x = 3, y = 0, z = 3 and x=2,y=1,z=5x = 2, y = 1, z = 5.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

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