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Number theory Difficulty 7.7 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Netherlands

Determine all positive integers n2n \ge 2 which have a positive divisor mnm \mid n satisfying
n=d3+m3,n = d^3 + m^3,
where dd is the smallest divisor of nn which is greater than 11.

Solution

The smallest divisor of nn greater than 11 is the smallest prime divisor of nn, hence dd is prime. Moreover, we have dnd \mid n, hence dd3+m3d \mid d^3 + m^3, and dm3d \mid m^3. This yields that m>1m > 1. On the other hand we have mnm \mid n, hence md3+m3m \mid d^3 + m^3, and md3m \mid d^3. Because dd is prime and m>1m > 1, we also see that mm equals dd, d2d^2, or d3d^3.

In all cases the parity of m3m^3 is equal to that of d3d^3, and n=d3+m3n = d^3 + m^3 is even. This means that the smallest divisor of nn greater than 11 equals 22, i.e. d=2d = 2. In case m=dm = d, we find n=23+23=16n = 2^3 + 2^3 = 16, in case m=d2m = d^2, we find n=23+26=72n = 2^3 + 2^6 = 72, and in case m=d3m = d^3, we find n=23+29=520n = 2^3 + 2^9 = 520. These are indeed solutions: they are even so that d=2d = 2, and 2162 \mid 16; 4724 \mid 72 and 85208 \mid 520, which indeed gives mnm \mid n. \square

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