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Number theory Difficulty 5.8 AIME, harder Prove it Iran

p13p \neq 13 is a prime number in the form of 8k+58k + 5 for some natural number kk, and 3939 is a non-residue modulo pp. Prove that equation x14+x24+x34+x440(modp)x_1^4 + x_2^4 + x_3^4 + x_4^4 \equiv 0 \pmod{p} has a solution in the set of integers such that px1x2x3x4p \nmid x_1x_2x_3x_4.

Solution

Note that
1xip1(1(x14+x24+x34+x44)p1)=p(p1)4(p1)4(p14θi;θi=p1A(p1θ1,θ2,θ3,θ4))p. \sum_{1 \le x_i \le p-1} \left(1 - \left(x_1^4 + x_2^4 + x_3^4 + x_4^4\right)^{p-1}\right) \stackrel{p}{=} \qquad (p-1)^4 - (p-1)^4 \overbrace{\left(\sum_{\substack{\frac{p-1}{4}|\theta_i; \\ \sum \theta_i = p-1}}^A \begin{pmatrix} p-1 \\ \theta_1, \theta_2, \theta_3, \theta_4 \end{pmatrix}\right)}^{p}.

A=p4(p1p1)+12(p1p14,3p14)+12(p1p14,p14,p12)+(p1p14,p14,p14,p14)=p4+12(p1)!(p14)!(3(p1)4)!+6(p1)!(p12)!2+12(p1)!(p12)!(p14)!2+(p1)!(p14)!4=p4+12(p1)!(1)p14(p1)!+6(p1)!1+12(p1)!(p12)!(p14)!2+(p1)!(p14)!4=p412+6+12(p12)!(p14)!2+1(p14)!2.\begin{align*} A \stackrel{p}{=} & 4 \binom{p-1}{p-1} + 12 \binom{p-1}{\frac{p-1}{4}, 3\frac{p-1}{4}} + 12 \binom{p-1}{\frac{p-1}{4}, \frac{p-1}{4}, \frac{p-1}{2}} + \binom{p-1}{\frac{p-1}{4}, \frac{p-1}{4}, \frac{p-1}{4}, \frac{p-1}{4}} \\ \stackrel{p}{=} & 4 + \frac{12(p-1)!}{\left(\frac{p-1}{4}\right)!\left(\frac{3(p-1)}{4}\right)!} + \frac{6(p-1)!}{\left(\frac{p-1}{2}\right)!^2} + \frac{12(p-1)!}{\left(\frac{p-1}{2}\right)!(\frac{p-1}{4})!^2} + \frac{(p-1)!}{\left(\frac{p-1}{4}\right)!^4} \\ \stackrel{p}{=} & 4 + \frac{12(p-1)!}{(-1)^{\frac{p-1}{4}}(p-1)!} + \frac{6(p-1)!}{-1} + \frac{12(p-1)!}{\left(\frac{p-1}{2}\right)!(\frac{p-1}{4})!^2} + \frac{(p-1)!}{\left(\frac{p-1}{4}\right)!^4} \\ \stackrel{p}{=} & 4 - 12 + 6 + 12 \frac{\left(\frac{p-1}{2}\right)!}{\left(\frac{p-1}{4}\right)!^2} + \frac{-1}{\left(\frac{p-1}{4}\right)!^2}. \end{align*}

If ap(p12)!a \stackrel{p}{\equiv} (\frac{p-1}{2})! and bp1(p14)!2b \stackrel{p}{\equiv} \frac{1}{(\frac{p-1}{4})!^2}, then Ap2+12abb2A \stackrel{p}{\equiv} -2 + 12ab - b^2; therefore,
A+1pb212ab+3p(b6a)236a2+3p(b6a)2+39. -A + 1 \stackrel{p}{\equiv} b^2 - 12ab + 3 \stackrel{p}{\equiv} (b - 6a)^2 - 36a^2 + 3 \stackrel{p}{\equiv} (b - 6a)^2 + 39.
And according to the assumption, (39p)=1\left(\frac{-39}{p}\right) = -1, which completes the proof.

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