Number theoryDifficulty 5.2AIME, harderProve itUkraine
How many distinct prime divisors does the number 118+117−132 have?
Solution
Consider the following transformation: 118+117−132=116⋅(112+11)−132=116⋅132−132=132⋅(116−1). Since 132=11⋅12=22⋅3⋅11, it has three prime divisors: 2, 3, 11. 116−1=(113−1)(113+1)=(11−1)(112+11+1)(11+1)(112−11+1)=10⋅133⋅12⋅111=23⋅32⋅5⋅7⋅19⋅37. Therefore, we have four more prime divisors: 5, 7, 19, 37.
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Source: MathNet,
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