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Number theory Difficulty 5.2 AIME, harder Prove it Saudi Arabia

Let m,nm, n be odd integers such that n21n^{2}-1 is divisible by m2+1n2m^{2}+1-n^{2}. Prove that m2+1n2\left|m^{2}+1-n^{2}\right| is a perfect square.

Solution

By assumption, there is an integer tt such that n21=t(m2+1n2)n^{2}-1 = t\left(m^{2}+1-n^{2}\right). Put k=t+1k = t+1. It is clear that k0k \neq 0. We have k(n21)=tm2k\left(n^{2}-1\right) = t m^{2}. Note that (k,t)=1(k, t) = 1 we get there is an integer ll such that n21=ltn^{2}-1 = l t (which gives l=m2+1n2l = m^{2}+1-n^{2}) and m2=lk=k(m2+1n2)=(t+1)(m2+1n2)m^{2} = l k = k\left(m^{2}+1-n^{2}\right) = (t+1)\left(m^{2}+1-n^{2}\right). Therefore, it suffices to prove that kk is a perfect square.
Let SS be the set of ordered pairs (x,y)(x, y) of integers such that
(x+y)2=k(1+4xy). (x+y)^{2} = k(1+4 x y) .
Then, the pair (m+n2,mn2)S\left(\frac{m+n}{2}, \frac{m-n}{2}\right) \in S, and this shows that SS is non-empty. Put
a=min{x;(x,y)S}. a = \min \{|x| ; \exists(x, y) \in S\} .
We show that a=0a=0 whence k=y2k = y^{2}.
If (x,y)S(x,y)S(x, y) \in S \Rightarrow (-x, -y) \in S, then (a,y)S(a, y) \in S. We have (a+y)2=k(1+4ay)(a+y)^{2} = k(1+4 a y). The two roots b1,b2b_{1}, b_{2} of the equation are integers with b1,b2a\left|b_{1}\right|, \left|b_{2}\right| \geqslant a. (Since (a,bi)S(bi,a)S\left(a, b_{i}\right) \in S \Rightarrow \left(b_{i}, a\right) \in S ). On the other hand,
b1+b2=4ak2a,b1b2=a2k. b_{1}+b_{2} = 4 a k - 2 a, \quad b_{1} b_{2} = a^{2} - k .
We get (a+b1)(a+b2)=(4a21)k\left(a+b_{1}\right)\left(a+b_{2}\right) = \left(4 a^{2}-1\right) k.
If k<0k<0 then b1b2>0,b1+b20b1,b2<0b_{1} b_{2}>0, b_{1}+b_{2} \leqslant 0 \Rightarrow b_{1}, b_{2}<0. Since bi>a\left|b_{i}\right|>a, it follows that a+bi<0(a+b1)(a+b2)>0a+b_{i}<0 \Rightarrow \left(a+b_{1}\right)\left(a+b_{2}\right)>0. This means that (4a21)k>0\left(4 a^{2}-1\right) k>0. Since k<0k<0, we get a=0a=0. Now, assume that k>0k>0 and a0a \neq 0 (a>0a>0).
In this case, b1+b2>0,(a+b1)(a+b2)>0b1,b2>0b_{1}+b_{2}>0, \left(a+b_{1}\right)\left(a+b_{2}\right)>0 \Rightarrow b_{1}, b_{2}>0. By the choice of aa, we get a2b1b2a^{2} \leqslant b_{1} b_{2}, which contradicts to the equality b1b2=a2kb_{1} b_{2} = a^{2} - k. So a=0a=0.

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