Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 5.1 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:

Find all integers xx such that 2x2+x62 x^{2}+x-6 is a positive integral power of a prime positive integer.

Solution

Solution:

Answer: 3,2,5-3, 2, 5

Let f(x)=2x2+x6=(2x3)(x+2)f(x) = 2 x^{2} + x - 6 = (2x - 3)(x + 2).

Suppose a positive integer aa divides both 2x32x - 3 and x+2x + 2. Then aa must also divide 2(x+2)(2x3)=72(x + 2) - (2x - 3) = 7. Hence, aa can either be 11 or 77.

As a result, 2x3=7n2x - 3 = 7^{n} or 7n-7^{n} for some positive integer nn, or either x+2x + 2 or 2x32x - 3 is ±1\pm 1.

We consider the following cases:

- (2x3)=1(2x - 3) = 1. Then x=2x = 2, which yields f(x)=4f(x) = 4, a prime power.

- (2x3)=1(2x - 3) = -1. Then x=1x = 1, which yields f(x)=3f(x) = -3, not a prime power.

- (x+2)=1(x + 2) = 1. Then x=1x = -1, which yields f(x)=5f(x) = -5, not a prime power.

- (x+2)=1(x + 2) = -1. Then x=3x = -3, which yields f(x)=9f(x) = 9, a prime power.

- (2x3)=7(2x - 3) = 7. Then x=5x = 5, which yields f(x)=49f(x) = 49, a prime power.

- (2x3)=7(2x - 3) = -7. Then x=2x = -2, which yields f(x)=0f(x) = 0, not a prime power.

- (2x3)=±7n(2x - 3) = \pm 7^{n}, for n2n \geq 2. Then, since x+2=(2x3)+72x + 2 = \frac{(2x - 3) + 7}{2}, we have that x+2x + 2 is divisible by 77 but not by 4949. Hence x+2=±7x + 2 = \pm 7, yielding x=5,9x = 5, -9. The former has already been considered, while the latter yields f(x)=147f(x) = 147.

So xx can be either 3,2-3, 2 or 55.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.