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Algebra Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it Bulgaria

Let pp and qq be prime numbers and let the sequence {an}n=1\{a_n\}_{n=1}^{\infty} be defined by:
a0=0,a1=1 and an+2=pan+1qan a_0 = 0, a_1 = 1 \text{ and } a_{n+2} = pa_{n+1} - qa_n
for n0n \ge 0. Find pp and qq if it is known that a3k=3a_{3k} = -3 for some integer kk.

Solution

Let pp and qq be odd. The recurrence relation gives a2=pa_2 = p and a3=p2qa_3 = p^2 - q. Therefore a0a_0 and a3a_3 are even. Since
a3k+3=pa3k+2qa3k+1=p(pa3k+1qa3k)qa3k+1=(p2q)a3k+1pqa3k a_{3k+3} = pa_{3k+2} - qa_{3k+1} = p(pa_{3k+1} - qa_{3k}) - qa_{3k+1} = (p^2 - q)a_{3k+1} - pqa_{3k}
and the number p2qp^2 - q is even, we prove by induction that a3ka_{3k} is even for every k0k \ge 0, a contradiction.
Let us suppose now that q=2q = 2. Then p3p \ge 3, since otherwise every ana_n, n2n \ge 2, is even. We shall prove by induction that an+1>an0a_{n+1} > a_n \ge 0 for n0n \ge 0, i.e. an>0a_n > 0 for every n1n \ge 1, which is a contradiction. The assertion is obvious for n=0n = 0. Assume that it follows for n=kn = k, i.e. ak+1>ak0a_{k+1} > a_k \ge 0. Then we have
ak+2=pak+1ak=(p2)ak+1+2(ak+1ak)>ak+1>0, a_{k+2} = pa_{k+1} - a_k = (p-2)a_{k+1} + 2(a_{k+1} - a_k) > a_{k+1} > 0,
hence ak+2>ak+1>0a_{k+2} > a_{k+1} > 0. It remains to consider the case p=2,q>2p = 2, q > 2. It follows by the recurrence relation that we have an+22an+1(modq)a_{n+2} \equiv 2a_{n+1} \pmod q for n0n \ge 0 and we conclude by induction that an+12n(modq)a_{n+1} \equiv 2^n \pmod q. Then we have 3=a3k23k1(modq)-3 = a_{3k} \equiv 2^{3k-1} \pmod q. On the other hand, the recurrence relation gives an+22an+1an(modq1)a_{n+2} \equiv 2a_{n+1} - a_n \pmod{q - 1}. Hence
an+2an+1an+1ana1a0=1(modq1), a_{n+2} - a_{n+1} \equiv a_{n+1} - a_n \equiv \cdots \equiv a_1 - a_0 = 1 \pmod{q-1},
i.e. an+1n+1(modq1)a_{n+1} \equiv n+1 \pmod{q-1} for n0n \ge 0. Then 3=a3k3k(modq1)-3 = a_{3k} \equiv 3k \pmod{q-1} and the Little Fermat's theorem gives that 23k+31(modq)2^{3k+3} \equiv 1 \pmod q. Thus 123k+31623k148(modq)1 \equiv 2^{3k+3} \equiv 16 \cdot 2^{3k-1} \equiv -48 \pmod q, i.e. q=7q=7. In this case we have a3=227=3a_3 = 2^2 - 7 = -3 and the required prime numbers are p=2p=2 and q=7q=7.

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