Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it Bulgaria

Solve in integers the system
{3a4+2b3=c23a6+b5=d2. \begin{cases} 3a^4 + 2b^3 = c^2 \\ 3a^6 + b^5 = d^2. \end{cases}

Solution

We shall prove that a=b=c=d=0a = b = c = d = 0. It is easy to see that if one of the numbers a,b,c,da, b, c, d equals 00, then the others equal 00, too. Indeed, if b=0b = 0, a0a \neq 0, then 3=±ca2\sqrt{3} = \pm\frac{c}{a^2} is a rational number, a contradiction. The case a=0a = 0, b0b \neq 0 is impossible by the same reasoning. Let c=0c = 0. Then n=b>0n = -b > 0 and 3a4=2n33a^4 = 2n^3, 3a6n53a^6 \ge n^5. Hence 2a2n22a^2 \ge n^2 and therefore 2n3=3a43n442n^3 = 3a^4 \ge \frac{3n^4}{4}. Then n83n \le \frac{8}{3}, i.e. n=1n = 1 or n=2n = 2, a contradiction. Analogously d0d \neq 0.

Let now a,b,c,d0a, b, c, d \neq 0. Adding both equations and using that 33 divides b5+2b3=b3(b1)(b+1)+3b3b^5 + 2b^3 = b^3(b-1)(b+1) + 3b^3, we get that 3c2+d23|c^2+d^2, i.e. 3c,d3|c, d. Hence 3a,b3|a, b. Let a=3αa1a = 3^\alpha a_1, b=3βb1b = 3^\beta b_1, c=3γc1c = 3^\gamma c_1, d=3δd1d = 3^\delta d_1, where α,β,γ,δ1\alpha, \beta, \gamma, \delta \ge 1 and 3a1,b1,c1,d13 \nmid a_1, b_1, c_1, d_1. Then the system can be written in the form
(1)34α+1a14+33β2b13=32γc1236α+1a16+35βb15=32δd12 (1) \qquad \left| \begin{array}{l} 3^{4\alpha+1}a_1^4 + 3^{3\beta}2b_1^3 = 3^{2\gamma}c_1^2 \\ 3^{6\alpha+1}a_1^6 + 3^{5\beta}b_1^5 = 3^{2\delta}d_1^2 \end{array} \right.
We shall use the following trivial fact. If 3kp+3lq=3mr3^k p + 3^l q = 3^m r and 3p,q,r3 \nmid p, q, r, then at least two of the numbers k,l,mk, l, m are equal. This and (1) imply that 4α+1=3β4\alpha + 1 = 3\beta or 3β=2γ3\beta = 2\gamma, and 6α+1=5β6\alpha + 1 = 5\beta or 5β=2δ5\beta = 2\delta. Then it is easy to see that 3β=2γ3\beta = 2\gamma and 5β=2δ5\beta = 2\delta. Now (1) is equivalent to
34α+12γa14+2b13=c1236α+12δa16+b15=d12 \left| \begin{array}{l} 3^{4\alpha+1-2\gamma}a_1^4 + 2b_1^3 = c_1^2 \\ 3^{6\alpha+1-2\delta}a_1^6 + b_1^5 = d_1^2 \end{array} \right.
Since 4α+12γ>04\alpha + 1 - 2\gamma > 0 and 6α+12δ>06\alpha + 1 - 2\delta > 0, adding the last two equations, we conclude as above that 3c1,d13|c_1, d_1, a contradiction.

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