Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 5.0 AIME, harder Prove it Austria

Let xx be the smallest positive integer such that 2x2x is the square of an integer, 3x3x is the cube of an integer and 5x5x is the fifth power of an integer. Find the prime factorization of xx.

Solution

Let the prime factor decomposition of xx be given by 2a3b5cp4e4prer2^a 3^b 5^c p_4^{e_4} \dots p_r^{e_r} (with a,b,c0a, b, c \ge 0). We conclude that
* aa is a multiple of 1515 and is odd,
* bb is a multiple of 1010 and b+1b+1 is a multiple of 33,
* cc is a multiple of 66 and c+1c + 1 is a multiple of 55.

The smallest positive integers with these properties are a=15a = 15, b=20b = 20, c=24c = 24. All other exponents in the prime factor decomposition of xx must be multiples of 3030, thus we obtain the smallest value for xx when all other exponents vanish.

Therefore, the smallest solution is given by x=215320524x = 2^{15} \cdot 3^{20} \cdot 5^{24}.

qed

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