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Number theory Difficulty 6.4 National Olympiad Prove it JBMO

Problem:
Solve in nonnegative integers the equation 5t+3x4y=z25^{t} + 3^{x} 4^{y} = z^{2}.

Solution

Solution:
If x=0x=0 we have
z222y=5t(z+2y)(z2y)=5t z^{2} - 2^{2y} = 5^{t} \Longleftrightarrow (z + 2^{y})(z - 2^{y}) = 5^{t}
Putting z+2y=5az + 2^{y} = 5^{a} and z2y=5bz - 2^{y} = 5^{b} with a+b=ta + b = t we get 5a5b=2y+15^{a} - 5^{b} = 2^{y+1}. This gives us b=0b = 0 and now we have 5t1=2y+15^{t} - 1 = 2^{y+1}. If y2y \geq 2 then consideration by modulo 8 gives 2t2 \mid t. Putting t=2st = 2s we get (5s1)(5s+1)=2y+1(5^{s} - 1)(5^{s} + 1) = 2^{y+1}. This means 5s1=2c5^{s} - 1 = 2^{c} and 5s+1=2d5^{s} + 1 = 2^{d} with c+d=y+1c + d = y + 1. Subtracting we get 2=2d2c2 = 2^{d} - 2^{c}. Then we have c=1,d=2c = 1, d = 2, but the equation 5s1=25^{s} - 1 = 2 has no solutions over nonnegative integers. Therefore so y2y \geq 2 in this case gives us no solutions. If y=0y = 0 we get again 5t1=25^{t} - 1 = 2 which again has no solutions in nonnegative integers. If y=1y = 1 we get t=1t = 1 and z=3z = 3 which gives us the solution (t,x,y,z)=(1,0,1,3)(t, x, y, z) = (1, 0, 1, 3).

Now if x1x \geq 1 then by modulo 3 we have 2t2 \mid t. Putting t=2st = 2s we get
3x4y=z252s3x4y=(z+5s)(z5s) 3^{x} 4^{y} = z^{2} - 5^{2s} \Longleftrightarrow 3^{x} 4^{y} = (z + 5^{s})(z - 5^{s})
Now we have z+5s=3m2kz + 5^{s} = 3^{m} 2^{k} and z5s=3n2lz - 5^{s} = 3^{n} 2^{l}, with k+l=2yk + l = 2y and m+n=x1m + n = x \geq 1. Subtracting we get
25s=3m2k3n2l 2 \cdot 5^{s} = 3^{m} 2^{k} - 3^{n} 2^{l}
Here we get that min{m,n}=0\min\{m, n\} = 0. We now have a couple of cases.

Case 1. k=l=0k = l = 0. Now we have n=0n = 0 and we get the equation 25s=3m12 \cdot 5^{s} = 3^{m} - 1. From modulo 4 we get that mm is odd. If s1s \geq 1 we get modulo 5 that 4m4 \mid m, a contradiction. So s=0s = 0 and we get m=1m = 1. This gives us t=0,x=1,y=0,z=2t = 0, x = 1, y = 0, z = 2.

Case 2. min{k,l}=1\min\{k, l\} = 1. Now we deal with two subcases:

Case 2a. l>k=1l > k = 1. We get 5s=3m3n2l15^{s} = 3^{m} - 3^{n} 2^{l-1}. Since min{m,n}=0\min\{m, n\} = 0, we get that n=0n = 0. Now the equation becomes 5s=3m2l15^{s} = 3^{m} - 2^{l-1}. Note that l1=2y2l-1 = 2y - 2 is even. By modulo 3 we get that ss is odd and this means s1s \geq 1. Now by modulo 5 we get 3m22y21,1(mod5)3^{m} \equiv 2^{2y-2} \equiv 1, -1 \pmod{5}. Here we get that mm is even as well, so we write m=2qm = 2q. Now we get 5s=(3q2y1)(3q+2y1)5^{s} = (3^{q} - 2^{y-1})(3^{q} + 2^{y-1}).
Therefore 3q2y1=5v3^{q} - 2^{y-1} = 5^{v} and 3q+2y1=5u3^{q} + 2^{y-1} = 5^{u} with u+v=su + v = s. Then 2y=5u5v2^{y} = 5^{u} - 5^{v}, whence v=0v = 0 and we have 3q2y1=13^{q} - 2^{y-1} = 1. Plugging in y=1,2y = 1, 2 we get the solution y=2,q=1y = 2, q = 1. This gives us m=2,s=1,n=0,x=2,t=2m = 2, s = 1, n = 0, x = 2, t = 2 and therefore z=13z = 13. Thus we have the solution (t,x,y,z)=(2,2,2,13)(t, x, y, z) = (2, 2, 2, 13). If y3y \geq 3 we get modulo 4 that q,q=2rq, q = 2r. Then (3r1)(3r+1)=2y1(3^{r} - 1)(3^{r} + 1) = 2^{y-1}. Putting 3r1=2e3^{r} - 1 = 2^{e} and 3r+1=2f3^{r} + 1 = 2^{f} with e+f=y1e + f = y - 1 and subtracting these two and dividing by 2 we get 2f12e1=12^{f-1} - 2^{e-1} = 1, whence e=1,f=2e = 1, f = 2. Therefore r=1,q=2,y=4r = 1, q = 2, y = 4. Now since 24=5u12^{4} = 5^{u} - 1 does not have a solution, it follows that there are no more solutions in this case.

Case 2b. k>l=1k > l = 1. We now get 5s=3m2k13n5^{s} = 3^{m} 2^{k-1} - 3^{n}. By modulo 4 (which we can use since 0<k1=2y20 < k-1 = 2y-2) we get 3n1(mod4)3^{n} \equiv -1 \pmod{4} and therefore nn is odd. Now since min{m,n}=0\min\{m, n\} = 0 we get that m=0,0+n=m+n=x1m = 0, 0 + n = m + n = x \geq 1. The equation becomes 5s=22y23x5^{s} = 2^{2y-2} - 3^{x}. By modulo 3 we see that ss is even. We now put s=2gs = 2g and obtain (2y15g)(5g+2y1)=3x(2^{y-1} - 5^{g})(5^{g} + 2^{y-1}) = 3^{x}. Putting 2y15g=3h,2y1+5g=3i2^{y-1} - 5^{g} = 3^{h}, 2^{y-1} + 5^{g} = 3^{i}, where i+h=xi + h = x, and subtracting the equations we get 3i3h=2y3^{i} - 3^{h} = 2^{y}. This gives us h=0h = 0 and now we are solving the equation 3x+1=2y3^{x} + 1 = 2^{y}.
The solution x=0,y=1x = 0, y = 1 gives 15g=11 - 5^{g} = 1 without solution. If x1x \geq 1 then by modulo 3 we get that yy is even. Putting y=2y1y = 2y_{1} we obtain 3x=(2y11)(2y1+1)3^{x} = (2^{y_{1}} - 1)(2^{y_{1}} + 1). Putting 2y11=3x12^{y_{1}} - 1 = 3^{x_{1}} and 2y1+1=3x22^{y_{1}} + 1 = 3^{x_{2}} and subtracting we get 3x23x1=23^{x_{2}} - 3^{x_{1}} = 2. This equation gives us x1=0,x2=1x_{1} = 0, x_{2} = 1. Then y1=1,x=1,y=2y_{1} = 1, x = 1, y = 2 is the only solution to 3x+1=2y3^{x} + 1 = 2^{y} with x1x \geq 1. Now from 25g=12 - 5^{g} = 1 we get g=0g = 0. This gives us t=0t = 0. Now this gives us the solution 1+316=491 + 3 \cdot 16 = 49 and (t,x,y,z)=(0,1,2,7)(t, x, y, z) = (0, 1, 2, 7).

This completes all the cases and thus the solutions are (t,x,y,z)=(1,0,1,3),(0,1,0,2),(2,2,2,13),(t, x, y, z) = (1, 0, 1, 3), (0, 1, 0, 2), (2, 2, 2, 13), and (0,1,2,7)(0, 1, 2, 7).

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