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Number theory Difficulty 8.1 Shortlist Prove it Turkey

Find all triples (m,n,p)(m, n, p) satisfying m3+7p2=2nm^3 + 7p^2 = 2^n, where pp is prime and m,nm, n are positive integers.

Solution

Note that n5n \ge 5 and mm and pp have the same parity. If mm is even then p=2p = 2 and we get 04(mod8)0 \equiv 4 \pmod{8}. Therefore, mm and pp both are odd. m30,±1(mod7)m^3 \equiv 0, \pm1 \pmod{7} and 2n2,4,1(mod7)2^n \equiv 2, 4, 1 \pmod{7}. Therefore, 2n1(mod7)2^n \equiv 1 \pmod{7} and consequently n=3kn = 3k: 23km3=7p22^{3k} - m^3 = 7p^2. We get (2km)(22k+2km+m2)=7p2(2^k - m)(2^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2) = 7p^2.

Let gcd(2km,22k+2km+m2)=d\gcd(2^k - m, 2^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2) = d. Since mm is odd dd also is odd. Since dd divides (2km)2(2^k - m)^2 and 22k+2km+m22^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2, dd divides 32km3 \cdot 2^k m. If dd divides mm then since dd also divides 2km2^k - m we get that dd divides 2k2^k and consequently d=1d = 1. If dd does not divide mm then d=3d = 3.

Note that (2km<22k+2km+m2)(2^k - m < 2^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2).

Case 1: d=1d = 1 and 2km=12^k - m = 1, 22k+2km+m2=7p22^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2 = 7p^2. Plugging m=2k1m = 2^k - 1 into 22k+2km+m2=7p22^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2 = 7p^2 we get 322k32k+17p2=03 \cdot 2^{2k} - 3 \cdot 2^k + 1 - 7p^2 = 0. Therefore k>1k > 1 and 1+p20(mod4)1 + p^2 \equiv 0 \pmod{4}. No solution in this case.

Case 2: d=1d = 1 and 2km=72^k - m = 7, 22k+2km+m2=p22^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2 = p^2. Plugging m=2k7m = 2^k - 7 into 22k+2km+m2=p22^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2 = p^2 we get 322k212k+49=p23 \cdot 2^{2k} - 21 \cdot 2^k + 49 = p^2. Since d=1d = 1 p7p \ne 7. In (mod7)\pmod{7} left hand side takes 3{2,4,1}={6,5,3}3 \cdot \{2, 4, 1\} = \{6, 5, 3\} and right hand side takes {1,2,4}\{1, 2, 4\}. No solution in this case.

Case 3: d=3d = 3 and 2km=p2^k - m = p, 22k+2km+m2=7p2^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2 = 7p. Readily p=d=3p = d = 3. Plugging 2k=m+32^k = m + 3 into 22k+2km+m2=212^{2k} + 2^k m + m^2 = 21 we get 3m2+9m12=03m^2 + 9m - 12 = 0. Therefore m=1m = 1 or m=4m = -4. Since mm is nonnegative we get m=1m = 1. Therefore, k=2k = 2 and n=6n = 6. The only solution is (6,1,3)(6, 1, 3).

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.