Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 5.8 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

Find all positive integers nn so that the largest prime divisor of n2+2n^2 + 2 is equal to the largest prime divisor of n2+2n+3n^2 + 2n + 3.

Solution

A common divisor dd of the given numbers divides also n2+2n+3(n2+2)=2n+1n^2 + 2n + 3 - (n^2 + 2) = 2n + 1, n(2n+1)=2n2+nn \cdot (2n + 1) = 2n^2 + n, 2n2+n2(n2+2)=n42n^2 + n - 2 \cdot (n^2 + 2) = n - 4, 2n+12(n4)=92n + 1 - 2 \cdot (n - 4) = 9.
Therefore, if dd is a prime, then d=3d = 3, and the only other prime factor contained by the given numbers is 22, appearing in at most one of them. Moreover, at least one of the numbers has the exponent of 33 at most 22.
If nn is even, then n2+2n^2 + 2 is even, but not divisible by 44 and the possible cases are:
I) n2+2=23n^2 + 2 = 2 \cdot 3;
II) n2+2=232n^2 + 2 = 2 \cdot 3^2;
III) n2+2n+3=3n^2 + 2n + 3 = 3;
IV) n2+2n+3=32n^2 + 2n + 3 = 3^2.
Only case II gives a solution, namely n=4n = 4.
If nn is odd, then n2+2n+3n^2 + 2n + 3 is even, but not divisible by 44 and the possible cases are:
V) n2+2n+3=23n^2 + 2n + 3 = 2 \cdot 3;
VI) n2+2n+3=232n^2 + 2n + 3 = 2 \cdot 3^2;
VII) n2+2=3n^2 + 2 = 3;
VIII) n2+2=32n^2 + 2 = 3^2.
We get the solution n=1n = 1 (corresponding to the cases V and VII).

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