For every positive integer , let denote the sum of all positive divisors of (1 and , inclusive). Show that a positive integer , which has at most two distinct prime factors, satisfies the condition if and only if , where is a non-negative integer and is prime.
Solution
By the first inequality, , so , i.e., since is odd. On the other hand, , by the second inequality, so , and consequently and .
To rule out the case , where and are distinct odd primes, and and are positive integers, write
Alternatively, but equivalently,
so , say . Then , and it follows that and , i.e., which does not satisfy the condition . This completes the proof.
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