Number theoryDifficulty 5.1AIME, harderProve itEstonia
The greatest common divisor of positive integers a, b, c is 1. It is known that c divides a+2b and a2−b2. Prove that c also divides a−b.
Solutions — 2
Solution 1
Let d=gcd(a+b,c). Since c∣a+2b, also d∣a+2b. Now (a+2b)−(a+b)=b and 2(a+b)−(a+2b)=a are divisible by d. Therefore d is the common divisor of a, b, c and due to our initial assumption of a, b, c being relatively prime it has to be 1. Hence a+b and c are also relatively prime. But since a2−b2=(a−b)(a+b) is divisible by c, the factor a−b has to be divisible by c.
Solution 2
Since a+2b is divisible by c, also (a−2b)(a+2b) is divisible by c. But (a−2b)(a+2b)=a2−4b2; since a2−b2 is divisible by c, the differences (a2−b2)−(a2−4b2)=3b2 and 4(a2−b2)−(a2−4b2)=3a2 also have to be divisible by c. If 3∤c, then c∣a2 and c∣b2. Therefore every prime divisor of c would also be a prime divisor of a and b, which would contradict the initial assumption. Hence either c=1, in which case the problem statement holds trivially, or 3∣c. In the latter case let c=3c′; the statements above show that c′∣a2 and c′∣b2. As we saw above, every prime divisor of c′ would be a prime divisor of a and b, due to which c′=1 and c=3. Now since a+2b and 3b are divisible by 3, also (a+2b)−3b=a−b is divisible by 3.
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