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Number theory Difficulty 7.6 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Argentina

An integer n3n \ge 3 is said to be a polygonal pythagorean number if there are nn positive integers, no two of them equal, which can be placed in the vertices of a regular nn-gon in such a way that the sum of the squares of the numbers in any two consecutive vertices is a perfect square. For instance, 3 is a polygonal pythagorean number because placing 44, 117 and 240 in the vertices of a triangle, we have 442+1172=125244^2 + 117^2 = 125^2, 1172+2402=2672117^2 + 240^2 = 267^2, and 2402+442=2442240^2 + 44^2 = 244^2. Find all polygonal pythagorean numbers.

Solution

The answer is n3n \ge 3. We abbreviate PP = polygonal pythagorean.

First, assume that nn is PP. We will show then that n+2n + 2 is also PP. Let a1,,ana_1, \dots, a_n be pairwise different positive integers such that ai2+ai+12a_i^2 + a_{i+1}^2 is a perfect square for all i=1,,ni = 1, \dots, n, where an+1=a1a_{n+1} = a_1. Choose any Pythagorean triple (x,y,z)(x, y, z), that is, three positive integers such that x2+y2=z2x^2 + y^2 = z^2. We claim that a1x,a2x,,anx,any,a1ya_1x, a_2x, \dots, a_nx, a_ny, a_1y satisfy the desired conditions for n+2n + 2. Indeed,
(aix)2+(ai+1x)2=x2(ai2+ai+12),(anx)2+(any)2=an2(x2+y2),(any)2+(a1y)2=y2(an2+a12),and(a1y)2+(a1x)2=a12(y2+x2), \begin{align*} (a_i x)^2 + (a_{i+1} x)^2 &= x^2 (a_i^2 + a_{i+1}^2), \\ (a_n x)^2 + (a_n y)^2 &= a_n^2 (x^2 + y^2), \\ (a_n y)^2 + (a_1 y)^2 &= y^2 (a_n^2 + a_1^2), \quad \text{and} \\ (a_1 y)^2 + (a_1 x)^2 &= a_1^2 (y^2 + x^2), \end{align*}
which are all products of two perfect squares and therefore are perfect squares themselves.

However, it may happen that either anya_ny or a1ya_1y is equal to some aixa_ix. To make sure that this is not the case, take a prime number pp which does not divide any of the aia_i's, and use the Pythagorean triple (x,y,z)=(p21,2p,p2+1)(x, y, z) = (p^2 - 1, 2p, p^2 + 1). Since yy is divisible by pp and both aia_i and xx are not, no aixa_ix can be equal to anya_ny or a1ya_1y, and so the n+2n+2 numbers a1x,a2x,,anx,any,a1ya_1x, a_2x, \dots, a_nx, a_ny, a_1y are pairwise different, which proves our claim.

With the example given in the problem statement we are able to get solutions for all odd nn. To solve the problem for even nn, it is enough to find a solution for n=4n = 4. Considering the Pythagorean triples (3,4,5)(3, 4, 5) and (5,12,13)(5, 12, 13), we can check that (35,45,412,312)=(15,20,48,36)(3 \cdot 5, 4 \cdot 5, 4 \cdot 12, 3 \cdot 12) = (15, 20, 48, 36) is a solution, and the proof is complete.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.