Number theoryDifficulty 5.9AIME, harderProve itHong Kong
Let p be a prime number greater than 5. Suppose there is an integer k satisfying that k2+5 is divisible by p. Prove that there are positive integers m and n such that p2=m2+5n2.
Solution
Consider all numbers of the form a+bk where a,b are integers with 0≤a,b<p. Since there are more than (p)2=p numbers, by the pigeonhole principle, two of them must be congruent modulo p. Their difference, which is of the form c+dk with ∣c∣,∣d∣<p and (c,d)=(0,0), is divisible by p. Now, note that (c+dk)(c−dk)=c2−d2k2≡c2+5d2(modp). Therefore, p∣c2+5d2. Since 0<c2+5d2<p+5p=6p, we must have c2+5d2=rp with r=1,2,3,4,5.
* If c2+5d2=p, then (c2−5d2)2+5(2cd)2=(c2+5d2)2=p2. Clearly, c,d=0. So we can take (m,n)=(∣c2−5d2∣,2∣cd∣).
* If c2+5d2=2p, then c,d are odd as 2p≡2(mod4). Therefore, we have (2c2−5d2)2+5(cd)2=(2c2+5d2)2=p2. So we can take (m,n)=(2c2−5d2,∣cd∣).
* If c2+5d2=3p, then 3∣c±d as 9∣3p. Therefore, 3∣c±d for some choice of the sign. Then we have (3c∓5d)2+5(3c±d)2=32(c2+5d2)=2p with 3c∓5d and 3c±d nonzero. Thus, this is reduced to the second case.
* If c2+5d2=4p, then c,d are even. Therefore, we have (2c)2+5(2d)2=p, which is reduced to the first case.
* If c2+5d2=5p, then 5∣c. Therefore, we have d2+5(5c)2=p, which is reduced to the first case.
Since all cases are exhausted, we are done.
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