Show that there is an infinite number of positive integers such that none of the equations , , , has solutions .
Solution
If is a positive integer, then either or , hence is congruent with , or modulo . Therefore, if is congruent with , then is congruent with , or , while is congruent with , or .
On the other hand, perfect squares are congruent with , , , , , or . Therefore a perfect square can not be equal to a number of the form or if . In conclusion, all the numbers that are congruent with modulo have the required property.
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