Maths Olympiad Prep

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, 2015

Number theory Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Saudi Arabia

Find all integer solutions of the equation x2y52x5y=2015+4xyx^{2} y^{5} - 2^{x} 5^{y} = 2015 + 4 x y.

Solution

Notice that if x<0x < 0 or y<0y < 0 then the term 2x5y2^{x} 5^{y} is not an integer while x2y520154xyx^{2} y^{5} - 2015 - 4 x y is an integer which is impossible. If x=0x = 0 or y=0y = 0 then the equation becomes 2x5y=2015-2^{x} 5^{y} = 2015 which has no solution. We deduce that both x,yx, y are positive integers. Moreover, because 2x5y+2015+4xy2^{x} 5^{y} + 2015 + 4 x y is an odd integer, both x,yx, y are odd integers.

Working modulo 55, we get x2y4xyx^{2} y \equiv 4 x y and therefore either x0,4x \equiv 0, 4 or y0(mod5)y \equiv 0 \pmod{5}.

Working modulo 88, and because x,yx, y are odd, we get y2x51+4y - 2^{x} \cdot 5 \equiv -1 + 4 which is equivalent to y5(2x1)(mod8)y \equiv 5(2^{x} - 1) \pmod{8}. Therefore, either x=1x = 1 and y5y \geq 5 or x3x \geq 3 and y3(mod8)y \equiv 3 \pmod{8}.

If x=1x = 1 and y5y \geq 5 then the equation becomes y525y=2015+4yy^{5} - 2 \cdot 5^{y} = 2015 + 4 y and has no solution since the left hand side is negative (We prove it by induction on y5y \geq 5).

If x=3x = 3 then y3(mod8)y \equiv 3 \pmod{8}. But y0(mod5)y \equiv 0 \pmod{5}. Therefore y35y \geq 35 and 9y585y9 \cdot y^{5} - 8 \cdot 5^{y} is negative so the equation has no solution.

If x5x \geq 5 and y3y \neq 3 then y5y \geq 5. In this case x2<2xx^{2} < 2^{x} and y55yy^{5} \leq 5^{y} (We prove it by induction) and therefore x2y52x5yx^{2} y^{5} - 2^{x} 5^{y} is negative and the equation has no solution.

If x7x \geq 7 and y=3y = 3 then because x0,4(mod5)x \equiv 0, 4 \pmod{5}, x9x \geq 9. Therefore x2352x53<35(x22x2)x^{2} \cdot 3^{5} - 2^{x} 5^{3} < 3^{5}(x^{2} - 2^{x-2}) is negative and therefore the equation has no solution.

If x=5x = 5 and y=3y = 3, the equation is satisfied.

Hence the unique solution is (5,3)(5, 3).

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