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Number theory Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it Greece

Determine all triads of positive integers (x,y,p)(x, y, p), where pp is prime, which satisfy the following equation: xy3x+y=p.\frac{xy^3}{x+y} = p.

Solution

Let d=gcd(x,y)d = \gcd(x, y). Then there exist a,bZa, b \in \mathbb{Z} such that x=dax = da, y=dby = db, (a,b)=1(a, b) = 1. By substitution to the given equation we get:
da(db)3da+db=d3ab3a+b=p.(1) \frac{d a (d b)^3}{d a + d b} = \frac{d^3 a b^3}{a + b} = p. \qquad (1)
From (a,b)=1(a, b) = 1, we get (a,a+b)=1(a, a + b) = 1 and (b3,a+b)=1(b^3, a + b) = 1, giving from relation (1) that a+bd3a + b \mid d^3. We write
d3a+b=k,(2) \frac{d^3}{a + b} = k, \qquad (2)
where kk is a positive integer. Then (1) becomes: kab3=pk a b^3 = p, and hence b3pb^3 \mid p. Therefore b=1b = 1 and ka=pk a = p. Hence we have the following cases:
(i) If k=p,a=1k = p, a = 1, then (2) becomes d32=p2p=d32d\frac{d^3}{2} = p \Rightarrow 2p = d^3 \Rightarrow 2 \mid d. Hence 8d38 \mid d^3 and 82p8 \mid 2p, absurd.
(ii) If k=1,a=pk = 1, a = p. Then (2) becomes:
d3=p+1d31=p(d1)(d2+d+1)=p. d^3 = p + 1 \Rightarrow d^3 - 1 = p \Rightarrow (d - 1)(d^2 + d + 1) = p.
Therefore, we get d1=1d - 1 = 1, d2+d+1=pd^2 + d + 1 = p (since d2+d+1>d1d^2 + d + 1 > d - 1),
d=2,p=7, and so: (x,y,p)=(14,2,7). \Leftrightarrow d = 2, p = 7, \text{ and so: } (x, y, p) = (14, 2, 7).

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