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Number theory Difficulty 3.7 AMC 10/12 Prove it North Macedonia

Solve the equation
x14+x24++x144=201631. x_1^4 + x_2^4 + \dots + x_{14}^4 = 2016^3 - 1.
in the set of integers.

Solution

For x=2kx = 2k, x4=16k40(mod16)x^4 = 16k^4 \equiv 0 \pmod{16}. For x=2k+1x = 2k+1, x41=8k(k+1)(2k2+2k+1)0(mod16)x^4 - 1 = 8k(k+1)(2k^2 + 2k + 1) \equiv 0 \pmod{16}, i.e. x41(mod16)x^4 \equiv 1 \pmod{16}. Since 20163115(mod16)2016^3 - 1 \equiv 15 \pmod{16}, and the sum of the numbers on the left-hand side never gives a remainder 1515 when divided by 1616, it follows that the given equation has no solution in the integers.

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