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Algebra Difficulty 4.8 AIME Prove it Thailand

Let pp be a prime. Show that p3+p53\sqrt[3]{p} + \sqrt[3]{p^5} is irrational.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Let r=p3+p53r = \sqrt[3]{p} + \sqrt[3]{p^5}. Then,
r3=(p3+p53)3=p+p5+3p2(p3+p53)=p+p5+3p2r. r^3 = (\sqrt[3]{p} + \sqrt[3]{p^5})^3 = p + p^5 + 3p^2(\sqrt[3]{p} + \sqrt[3]{p^5}) = p + p^5 + 3p^2 r.
Hence rr is a root of the polynomial x33p2xp5px^3 - 3p^2x - p^5 - p. Assume to the contrary that rr is rational. By the rational root theorem we have rr is an integer. From r3=p+p5+3p2rr^3 = p + p^5 + 3p^2r we get prp \mid r. Hence p3r33p2rp5p^3 \mid r^3 - 3p^2r - p^5, implying p3pp^3 \mid p a contradiction. Thus, rr is irrational.

Solution 2

Assume to the contrary that r=p3+p53r = \sqrt[3]{p} + \sqrt[3]{p^5} is rational. Thus
r+p31+pr=p3+p53+p931+p43+p83=p3 \frac{r + p^3}{1 + pr} = \frac{\sqrt[3]{p} + \sqrt[3]{p^5} + \sqrt[3]{p^9}}{1 + \sqrt[3]{p^4} + \sqrt[3]{p^8}} = \sqrt[3]{p}
is rational. This is clearly false, thus rr is irrational.

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