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Algebra Difficulty 7.4 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Vietnam

A sequence (xn)(x_n) is defined as follows
x0=2, x1=1, xn+2=xn+1+xn x_0 = 2,\ x_1 = 1,\ x_{n+2} = x_{n+1} + x_n
for every non-negative integer nn.

a) For every n1n \ge 1, prove that if xnx_n is a prime number then nn is a prime number or nn has no odd prime divisors.

b) Find all pairs of non-negative integers (m,n)(m, n) such that xmxnx_m \mid x_n.

Solution

a. We can easily prove that xn=αn+βnx_n = \alpha^n + \beta^n for all positive integers nn where α<0<β\alpha < 0 < \beta are two roots of the equation λ2λ1=0\lambda^2 - \lambda - 1 = 0.

Suppose that xnx_n is a prime number where nn is a positive integer with odd prime divisors. Then, nn has the form pqpq where pp is an odd prime and qq is a natural number greater than 1. We have
xpq=αpq+βpq=(αq+βq)(αq(p1)αq(p2)βq+αqβq(p2)+βq(p1))=xq(xq(p1)++(1)(q+1)(p1)2x2q+(1)(q+1)(p1)2), \begin{aligned} x_{pq} &= \alpha^{pq} + \beta^{pq} \\ &= (\alpha^q + \beta^q) \left( \alpha^{q(p-1)} - \alpha^{q(p-2)} \beta^q + \dots - \alpha^q \beta^{q(p-2)} + \beta^{q(p-1)} \right) \\ &= x_q \left( x_{q(p-1)} + \dots + (-1)^{\frac{(q+1)(p-1)}{2}} x_{2q} + (-1)^{\frac{(q+1)(p-1)}{2}} \right), \end{aligned}
so xqxpqx_q \mid x_{pq}. On the other hand, the sequence (xn)(x_n) is strictly increasing so xq>x1=1x_q > x_1 = 1. Hence, xpqx_{pq} is a composite, which is a contradiction. Hence, if xnx_n is a prime number then nn is a prime number or nn has no odd prime divisor.

b. Consider the following cases

• Case 1: m=0m = 0. By considering the remainder of xnx_n modulo 2, it is easy to check that xnx_n are even for all 3n3 \mid n and odd in the remaining cases. Hence, all pairs (m,n)(m, n) satisfying in this case are (0,3k)(0, 3k) where kk is a positive integer.

• Case 2: m=1m = 1. Clearly, all pairs (m,n)=(1,k)(m, n) = (1, k) where kk is a positive integer are satisfied.

• Case 3: m>1m > 1. For every kl0k \ge l \ge 0, we have
(αk+βk)(αl+βl)(αk+l+βk+l)=(αβ)l(αkl+βkl)=(1)l(αkl+βkl). (\alpha^k + \beta^k)(\alpha^l + \beta^l) - (\alpha^{k+l} + \beta^{k+l}) = (\alpha\beta)^l(\alpha^{k-l} + \beta^{k-l}) = (-1)^l(\alpha^{k-l} + \beta^{k-l}).
Hence,
xk+l=xkxl(1)lxkl.(1) x_{k+l} = x_k x_l - (-1)^l x_{k-l}. \quad (1)
In other words, for every k2l0k \ge 2l \ge 0, we have
xk=xklxl(1)lxk2l. x_k = x_{k-l} x_l - (-1)^l x_{k-2l}.
Hence, xkx_k is divisible by xlx_l if and only if xk2lx_{k-2l} is divisible by xlx_l, xk2lx_{k-2l} is divisible by xlx_l if and only if xk4lx_{k-4l} is divisible by xlx_l (if k4lk \ge 4l), ... In general, we have xkx_k is divisible by xlx_l if and only if xk2tlx_{k-2tl} is divisible by xlx_l (if k2tl, tNk \ge 2tl,\ t \in \mathbb{N}). (2)

Now, since xnx_n is divisible by xmx_m and xnxm3x_n \ge x_m \ge 3 then nm>1n \ge m > 1. Set n=qm+rn = qm + r with qNq \in \mathbb{N}^*, rNr \in \mathbb{N}, 0rm10 \le r \le m-1. Consider the following cases:

* Case 3.1: qq is even. According to (2), we have xmxnx_m \mid x_n if and only if xmxrx_m \mid x_r, implies that xrxmx_r \ge x_m. If r1r \ge 1, then from the above inequality, we obtain rmr \ge m (because (xn)(x_n) is strictly increasing), which is a contradiction. Hence r=0r = 0, however this sub-case also leads to a contradiction since xmx2=3>x0=xrx_m \ge x_2 = 3 > x_0 = x_r.

* Case 3.2: qq is odd. According to (2), we have xmxnx_m \mid x_n if and only if xmxm+rx_m \mid x_{m+r}. On the other hand, xm+r=xmxr(1)rxmrx_{m+r} = x_m x_r - (-1)^r x_{m-r} so xmxnx_m \mid x_n if and only if xmxmrx_m \mid x_{m-r}. If 0<r<m0 < r < m, we have 1mrxmr<xm1 \le m-r \le x_{m-r} < x_m, which is a contradiction. Thus, r=0r = 0 and all satisfying pairs (m,n)(m, n) in this sub-case are (m,(2k+1)m)(m, (2k+1)m) where kk is a positive integer.

Therefore, all satisfying pairs are (0,3k)(0, 3k), (1,k)(1, k) and (m,(2k+1)m)(m, (2k+1)m) where m,km, k are positive integers and m>1m > 1.

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