Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it Estonia

Find all solutions of the equation x3+3xy+y3=2019x^3 + 3xy + y^3 = 2019 in integers.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

The r.h.s. of the equation is divisible by 33 but not by 99. Assume that 3x3 \mid x. Then 9x39 \mid x^3 and 93xy9 \mid 3xy. If also 3y3 \mid y then 9y39 \mid y^3, implying that the l.h.s. of the equation is divisible by 99. Thus 3y3 \nmid y. But then 3y33 \nmid y^3, implying that the l.h.s. of the equation is not divisible by 33. The contradiction shows that 3x3 \nmid x. By symmetry, also 3y3 \nmid y.
As 33xy3 \mid 3xy, we must have 3x3+y33 \mid x^3 + y^3. Hence also 3x3+3x2y+3xy2+y3=(x+y)33 \mid x^3 + 3x^2y + 3xy^2 + y^3 = (x+y)^3, implying 3x+y3 \mid x+y. Consequently, xx and yy are modulo 33 congruent to 11 and 22 in some order. Hence x2y21(mod3)x^2 \equiv y^2 \equiv 1 \pmod{3} and xy2(mod3)xy \equiv 2 \pmod{3}, implying x2xy+y20(mod3)x^2 - xy + y^2 \equiv 0 \pmod{3}. We obtain 9x3+y3=(x+y)(x2xy+y2)9 \mid x^3 + y^3 = (x+y)(x^2 - xy + y^2), whereas 3xy6(mod9)3xy \equiv 6 \pmod{9}. Hence the l.h.s. of the equation is congruent to 66 modulo 99 but the r.h.s. of the equation is congruent to 33. Consequently, there are no solutions.

Solution 2

Denote a=x+ya = x+y. Then the given equation is equivalent to a3+3xy(1a)=2019a^3 + 3xy(1-a) = 2019. As 320193 \mid 2019 and 33xy(1a)3 \mid 3xy(1-a), we must have 3a33 \mid a^3, implying 3a3 \mid a. The given equation is also equivalent to
(a1)(a2+a+13xy)=2018.(1) (a-1)(a^2 + a + 1 - 3xy) = 2018. \quad (1)
Hence a12018a-1 \mid 2018. As 2018=210092018 = 2 \cdot 1009 where 10091009 is prime, a1a-1 must be one of 20182018, 10091009, 22, 11, 1-1, 2-2, 1009-1009, 2018-2018. Taking into account that 3a3 \nmid a, we obtain four cases:
* If a=2019a = 2019 then y=2019xy = 2019 - x and substituting into (1) gives 20192+2019+13x(2019x)=12019^2 + 2019 + 1 - 3x(2019 - x) = 1 which is equivalent to x22019x+6732020=0x^2 - 2019x + 673 \cdot 2020 = 0. The latter equation has no real solutions.
* If a=3a = 3 then y=3xy = 3 - x and substituting into (1) gives 133x(3x)=100913 - 3x(3 - x) = 1009 which is equivalent to x23x332=0x^2 - 3x - 332 = 0. The latter equation has no integral solutions.
* If a=0a = 0 then y=xy = -x and the l.h.s. of the initial equation is non-positive.
* If a=1008a = -1008 then y=1008xy = -1008 - x and substituting into (1) gives 100821008+1+3x(1008+x)=21008^2 - 1008 + 1 + 3x(1008 + x) = -2 which is equivalent to x2+1008x+3361007+1=0x^2 + 1008x + 336 \cdot 1007 + 1 = 0. The latter equation has no real solutions.

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