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Number theory Difficulty 5.4 AIME, harder Prove it Estonia

Find all pairs of integers (a,b)(a, b) satisfying (a+1)(b1)=a2b2(a+1)(b-1) = a^2 b^2.

Solution

Answer: (0,1)(0,1) and (1,0)(-1,0).

Since aa and a+1a+1 are coprime, a2a^2 and a+1a+1 are also coprime. Similarly b2b^2 and b1b-1 are coprime. Hence the equality can hold only in the case a+1=±b2a+1 = \pm b^2 and b1=±a2b-1 = \pm a^2, where the signs in both equations are the same.

Let both signs be pluses. Then from the first equation we get a=b21=(b1)(b+1)a = b^2 - 1 = (b-1)(b+1). The second equation implies b1=a2b-1 = a^2, whence a=a2(a2+2)a = a^2(a^2+2). If a=0a=0, then b=1b=1, i.e. (a,b)=(0,1)(a,b) = (0,1). If a0a \neq 0, then by dividing by aa we get 1=a(a2+2)1 = a(a^2+2); since a2+2>1a^2+2 > 1, this equation does not have integer solutions.

If both signs are minuses then by multiplying by 1-1 we get b+1=a2-b+1 = a^2 and a1=b2-a-1 = b^2. These are the same equations with respect to b-b and a-a which we had previously with respect to aa and bb, hence the only solution is b=0,a=1-b = 0, -a = 1 i.e. (a,b)=(1,0)(a,b) = (-1,0).

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.