Number theoryDifficulty 5.8AIME, harderProve itUnited States
Find all pairs of positive integers (a,b) satisfying the following conditions: (i) a divides b4+1, (ii) b divides a4+1, (iii) ⌊a⌋=⌊b⌋.
Solution
The only solutions are (1,1), (1,2), and (2,1), which clearly work. Now we show there are no others.
Obviously, gcd(a,b)=1, so the problem conditions imply ab∣(a−b)4+1 since each of a and b divide the right-hand side. We define k=defab(b−a)4+1.
Claim (Size estimate) — We must have k≤16.
Proof. Let n=⌊a⌋=⌊b⌋, so that a,b∈[n2,n2+2n]. We have that ab≥n2(n2+1)≥n4+1(b−a)4+1≤(2n)4+1=16n4+1 which shows k≤16. □
Claim (Orders argument) — In fact, k=1.
Proof. First of all, note that k cannot be even: if it was, then a,b have opposite parity, but then 4∣(b−a)4+1, contradiction. Thus k is odd. However, every odd prime divisor of (b−a)4+1 is congruent to 1(mod8) and is thus at least 17, so k=1 or k≥17. It follows that k=1. □
At this point, we have reduced to solving ab=(b−a)4+1 and we need to prove the claimed solutions are the only ones. Write b=a+d, and assume WLOG that d≥0: then we have a(a+d)=d4+1, or a2−da−(d4+1)=0. The discriminant d2+4(d4+1)=4d4+d2+4 must be a perfect square.
* The cases d=0 and d=1 lead to pairs (1,1) and (1,2). * If d≥2, then we can sandwich (2d2)2<4d4+d2+4<4d4+4d2+1=(2d2+1)2, so the discriminant is not a square.
The solution is complete.
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