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Number theory Difficulty 6.3 National olympiad Prove it China

Find all positive integers aa such that (2nn2)(anna)(2^n - n^2) \mid (a^n - n^a) for all positive integers n5n \ge 5. (posed by Yang Mingliang)

Solution

First, we prove that aa is even. It follows from the given condition by choosing an even integer n6n \ge 6.

Next, we prove that aa has no odd prime factor. Suppose the contrary, let pp be an odd prime factor of aa. If p=3p = 3, let n=8n = 8, then 2nn2=1922^n - n^2 = 192 has a factor 33, but annaa^n - n^a is not divisible by 33, contradicting to (2nn2)(anna)(2^n - n^2) \mid (a^n - n^a), hence pp is not 33.

If p=5p = 5, let n=16n = 16, then 2nn2=641102^n - n^2 = 64 \cdot 110 has a factor 55, but annaa^n - n^a is not divisible by 55, contradicting (2nn2)(anna)(2^n - n^2) \mid (a^n - n^a), hence pp is not 55.

If p7p \ge 7, let n=p1n = p - 1, it follows from Fermat's Little Theorem that 2p11(modp)2^{p-1} \equiv 1 \pmod p. As (p1)21(modp)(p-1)^2 \equiv 1 \pmod p, so p(2nn2)p \mid (2^n - n^2). Moreover, since aa is even and pap \mid a, so na(p1)a(1)a1(modp)n^a \equiv (p-1)^a \equiv (-1)^a \equiv 1 \pmod p and panp \mid a^n, and hence pp does not divide (anna)(a^n - n^a), contradicting (2nn2)(anna)(2^n - n^2) \mid (a^n - n^a).

Finally, we prove that aa is 22 or 44. For this, let a=2ta = 2^t where tt is a positive integer, then it follows from (2nn2)(22nn2t)(2^n - n^2) \mid (2^{2n} - n^{2t}) and (2nn2)(22nn2t)(2^n - n^2) \mid (2^{2n} - n^{2t}) that (2nn2)(n2tn2t)(2^n - n^2) \mid (n^{2t} - n^{2t}).

If we choose nn to be sufficiently large, it follows from the fact limnn2t2n=0\lim_{n \to \infty} \frac{n^{2t}}{2^n} = 0 that n2tn2t=0n^{2t} - n^{2t} = 0, hence 2t=2t2^t = 2t. t=1t = 1 and t=2t = 2 are obvious solutions.

If t3t \ge 3, then by the Binomial Theorem, we have t=2t1=(1+1)t1>1+(t1)=tt = 2^{t-1} = (1+1)^{t-1} > 1 + (t-1) = t, which is impossible. At last, one can easily check that a=2a = 2 and a=4a = 4 satisfy the condition in the problem, so the solutions for aa are 22 and 44.

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