Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /1 of 4

Number theory Difficulty 6.0 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

Is it possible to express every positive integer nn congruent to 99 modulo 2525 in the form n=a(a+1)2+b(b+1)2+c(c+1)2n = \frac{a(a+1)}{2} + \frac{b(b+1)}{2} + \frac{c(c+1)}{2}, where aa, bb, cc are non-negative integers that do not share parity?

Solution

(*) Let (p,q,r)(p, q, r) be a Pythagorean triple of positive integers, p2+q2=r2p^2 + q^2 = r^2, such that p1(mod4)p \equiv -1 \pmod{4}, q0(mod4)q \equiv 0 \pmod{4}, r1(mod4)r \equiv 1 \pmod{4}, and p<qp < q. Then every positive integer N3(mod8)N \equiv 3 \pmod{8}, that is divisible by r2r^2, is the sum of three odd squares whose positive square roots are not congruent modulo 44.
---
Consequently, a positive integer n3(r21)8(modr2)n \equiv \frac{3(r^2 - 1)}{8} \pmod{r^2} is expressible in the form n=a(a+1)2+b(b+1)2+c(c+1)2n = \frac{a(a+1)}{2} + \frac{b(b+1)}{2} + \frac{c(c+1)}{2} for some non-negative integers a,b,ca, b, c that do not share parity.
The problem at hand is the special case where (p,q,r)=(3,4,5)(p, q, r) = (3, 4, 5).
To prove (*), notice that N/r23(mod8)N/r^2 \equiv 3 \pmod{8}, so it is not of the form 4k(8+7)4^k(8\ell + 7), and is therefore a sum of three odd squares (Gauss-Legendre).
Write N=(ru)2+(rv)2+(rw)2N = (ru)^2 + (rv)^2 + (rw)^2 for some positive odd integers u,v,wu, v, w, and assume, without loss of generality, that uvu \ge v, to write (ru)2+(rv)2=(pu+qv)2+(qupv)2(ru)^2 + (rv)^2 = (pu + qv)^2 + (qu - pv)^2.
Since (rurv)+((pu+qv)(qupv))(uv)+(u+v)2u2(mod4)(ru - rv) + ((pu + qv) - (qu - pv)) \equiv (u - v) + (u + v) \equiv 2u \equiv 2 \pmod{4}, the entries of one of the pairs of positive odd integers (ru,rv),(pu+qv,qupv)(ru, rv), (pu + qv, qu - pv) are not congruent modulo 44. This ends the proof.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.