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Number theory Difficulty 6.2 National Olympiad Prove it Iran

Let pp be a prime number. Find all positive integers x,y>1x, y > 1 such that
x21y21=(p+1)2. \frac{x^2 - 1}{y^2 - 1} = (p + 1)^2.

Solution

Reformulate the original expression as x21=(p+1)2(y21)x^2 - 1 = (p+1)^2(y^2 - 1). x21=((p+1)y)2(p+1)2(p+1)21=((p+1)y)2x2x^2 - 1 = ((p+1)y)^2 - (p+1)^2 \Rightarrow (p+1)^2 - 1 = ((p+1)y)^2 - x^2. p2+2p+11=((p+1)yx)((p+1)y+x)p^2 + 2p + 1 - 1 = ((p+1)y - x)((p+1)y + x). So, p(p+2)=((p+1)yx)((p+1)y+x)p(p+2) = ((p+1)y - x)((p+1)y + x). Let A=(p+1)yxA = (p+1)y - x and B=(p+1)y+xB = (p+1)y + x. Then AB=p(p+2)AB = p(p+2). Since x,y>1x, y > 1, (p+1)y2(p+1)=2p+2(p+1)y \ge 2(p+1) = 2p+2. x2x \ge 2. B=(p+1)y+x2(p+1)+2=2p+4B = (p+1)y + x \ge 2(p+1) + 2 = 2p+4. Also, BA=2x>0B>AB - A = 2x > 0 \Rightarrow B > A. B+A=2(p+1)yB + A = 2(p+1)y. Since pp is a prime, it must either divide AA or BB.

Case I. pAp|A. So A=kpA = kp for some integer kk. Then B=(p+2)/kB = (p+2)/k. If pp divides the first bracket, i.e., (A), then (p+1)y+xp+2(p+1)y+x|p+2. This implies Bp+2B|p+2. Since B2p+4B \ge 2p+4, we have 2p+4p+2p22p+4 \le p+2 \Rightarrow p \le -2, which is impossible.

Case II. pBp|B. So (p+1)y+x=kp(p+1)y+x = kp for some integer kk. And (p+1)yx=(p+2)/k(p+1)y-x = (p+2)/k. We have yx(modp)y \equiv -x \pmod p. Let x=kpyx = kp - y for some integer kk. Substitute this into AB=p(p+2)A \cdot B = p(p+2): B=(p+1)y+x=(p+1)y+kpy=py+kp=p(y+k)B = (p+1)y+x = (p+1)y + kp - y = py + kp = p(y+k). A=(p+1)yx=(p+1)y(kpy)=(p+2)ykpA = (p+1)y - x = (p+1)y - (kp - y) = (p+2)y - kp. So,
((p+2)ykp)p(y+k)=p(p+2)    ((p+2)ykp)(y+k)=p+2 ((p+2)y - kp) \cdot p(y + k) = p(p + 2) \implies ((p+2)y - kp)(y + k) = p + 2
If y>ky > k, then (p(yk)+2y)(y+k)>p+2(p(y - k) + 2y)(y + k) > p + 2 which is a contradiction. Thus yky \le k. Since y+ky + k is a factor of p+2p + 2, y+kp+2y + k \le p + 2, so we have 2yp+22y \le p + 2. If yk2y - k \le -2 we have
p(yk)+2y2p+2y<0 p(y - k) + 2y \le -2p + 2y < 0
which is a contradiction. The only remaining possibility is yk=1y - k = -1 (i.e. k=y+1k = y+1) or yk=0y - k = 0 (i.e. k=yk = y). If k=yk = y: ((p+2)ypy)(y+y)=p+2    (2y)(2y)=p+2    4y2=p+2((p+2)y - py)(y+y) = p+2 \implies (2y)(2y) = p+2 \implies 4y^2 = p+2. If p=2p = 2, 4y2=4    y2=1    y=14y^2 = 4 \implies y^2 = 1 \implies y = 1. Rejected. If pp is odd it follows that p+2p+2 is also odd since 4y24y^2 is even then p+2p+2 cannot be odd. Yielding 4y2=p+24y^2 = p+2 has no solution for odd pp. If k=y+1k = y+1: ((p+2)yp(y+1))(y+y+1)=p+2    (py+2ypyp)(2y+1)=p+2((p+2)y - p(y+1))(y+y+1) = p+2 \implies (py+2y - py - p)(2y+1) = p+2. (2yp)(2y+1)=p+2(2y-p)(2y+1) = p+2. 4y2+2y2pyp=p+2    4y2+2(1p)y(2p+2)=04y^2+2y-2py-p = p+2 \implies 4y^2+2(1-p)y-(2p+2) = 0. Solving 4y2+2(1p)y(2p+2)=04y^2 + 2(1-p)y - (2p+2) = 0, with respect to yy, we have
y=p+12. y = \frac{p+1}{2}.
This requires pp to be odd. Then
k=y+1=p+12+1=p+32 k = y + 1 = \frac{p+1}{2} + 1 = \frac{p+3}{2}
And
x=kpy=(p+32)pp+12=p2+3pp12=p2+2p12 x = kp - y = \left(\frac{p+3}{2}\right) p - \frac{p+1}{2} = \frac{p^2 + 3p - p - 1}{2} = \frac{p^2 + 2p - 1}{2}
The solutions are (x,y)=(p2+2p12,p+12)(x, y) = \left(\frac{p^2+2p-1}{2}, \frac{p+1}{2}\right) for odd primes pp.

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