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Number theory Difficulty 8.0 Shortlist Prove it Netherlands

Let nn be a positive integer. Prove that the numbers
11,33,55,,(2n1)2n1 1^1, 3^3, 5^5, \dots, (2^n - 1)^{2^n - 1}
are in different residue classes modulo 2n2^n.

Solution

We proceed by induction on nn. For n=1n=1, the only number in the sequence is 111^1, so the given statement is trivially true.

For the induction step, we are to show that for n1n \ge 1, the numbers 11,33,55,,(2n+11)2n+111^1, 3^3, 5^5, \dots, (2^{n+1}-1)^{2^{n+1}-1} are in different residue classes modulo 2n+12^{n+1}, given the induction hypothesis that 11,33,55,,(2n1)2n11^1, 3^3, 5^5, \dots, (2^n-1)^{2^n-1} are in different residue classes modulo 2n2^n.

So suppose that that is the case. We split the numbers 11,33,55,,(2n+11)2n+111^1, 3^3, 5^5, \dots, (2^{n+1}-1)^{2^{n+1}-1} into two groups, namely 11,33,55,,(2n1)2n11^1, 3^3, 5^5, \dots, (2^n-1)^{2^n-1}, which we will call the lesser group, and (2n+1)2n+1,(2n+3)2n+3,,(2n+11)2n+11(2^n+1)^{2^n+1}, (2^n+3)^{2^n+3}, \dots, (2^{n+1}-1)^{2^{n+1}-1}, which we will call the greater group. First note that the numbers in the lesser group are also all in different residue classes modulo 2n+12^{n+1}.

Note that because φ(2n+1)=2n\varphi(2^{n+1}) = 2^n, we have aka(mod2n+1)a^k \equiv a^\ell \pmod{2^{n+1}} for k,,ak, \ell, a such that k(mod2n)k \equiv \ell \pmod{2^n} and aa is odd. We will use this observation to compare the residue classes of the greater group to those of the lesser group.

Write the numbers in the greater group as (2n+m)2n+m(2^n+m)^{2^n+m} for 1m2n11 \le m \le 2^n-1 and odd. Expanding (2n+m)2n+m(2^n + m)^{2^n + m} using Newton's binomial, we note that any term with at least two factors 2n2^n is congruent to 00 modulo 2n+12^{n+1}. We thus find modulo 2n+12^{n+1} that
(2n+m)2n+mm2n+m+(2n+m)m2n+m12n+22n()m2n+m+(2n+m)m2n+m12nmm+(22n+2m)mm1mm+2nmmmm+2n, \begin{align} (2^n + m)^{2^n + m} &\equiv m^{2^n + m} + (2^n + m)m^{2^n + m-1}2^n + 2^{2n}(\cdots) \\ &\equiv m^{2^n + m} + (2^n + m)m^{2^n + m-1}2^n \\ &\equiv m^m + (2^{2n} + 2^m)m^{m-1} \\ &\equiv m^m + 2^n \cdot m^m \\ &\equiv m^m + 2^n, \tag{7} \end{align}
where we have used in the last step that mmm^m is odd; writing mmm^m as 2a+12a+1 shows that 2n(2a+1)=2n+1a+2n2n(mod2n+1)2^n(2a+1) = 2^{n+1}a + 2^n \equiv 2^n \pmod{2^{n+1}}.

Since the numbers mmm^m from the lesser group are different modulo 2n+12^{n+1}, the numbers from the greater group therefore are also different modulo 2n+12^{n+1}. Moreover, from (7) it follows that the numbers from the lesser group are different from those from the greater group modulo 2n+12^{n+1}. Indeed, suppose for a contradiction that (2n+m)2n+mkk(mod2n+1)(2^n+m)^{2^n+m} \equiv k^k \pmod{2^{n+1}} with 1k,m2n11 \le k, m \le 2^{n-1}, then it follows from (7) that mmmm+2nkk(mod2n)m^m \equiv m^m + 2^n \equiv k^k \pmod{2^n}. So because of the induction hypothesis, it follows that m=km = k. But in that case we have (2n+m)2n+mmm+2n≢mm(mod2n+1)(2^n+m)^{2^n+m} \equiv m^m + 2^n \not\equiv m^m \pmod{2^{n+1}} and we obtain the desired contradiction.

So we conclude that no number from the lesser group and greater group has the same residue class as any other number from these two groups. This completes the induction step, and by induction it therefore follows that the given statement is true for all positive integers nn. \square

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