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Number theory Difficulty 5.8 AIME, harder Prove it Belarus

Find all pairs (n;p)(n; p) of natural numbers nn and prime numbers pp satisfying the equality p8p4=n5np^8 - p^4 = n^5 - n.

Solution

Answer: (n;p)=(3;2)(n; p) = (3; 2).

It is clear that pnp \ne n. If p=2p = 2, then n3n \ge 3 and we have 2824=240=3532^8 - 2^4 = 240 = 3^5 - 3, i.e. p=2p = 2, n=3n = 3 is a solution. On the other hand, if n>3n > 3, then n5n=n(n41)>3(341)=240n^5 - n = n(n^4 - 1) > 3(3^4 - 1) = 240, i.e. for p=2p = 2 there are no nn different from 33 satisfying the initial equality.

Now let p>2p > 2. Then pp is an odd prime number and n3n \ge 3. We rewrite the initial equality in the form
n(n1)(n+1)(n2+1)=p4(p41).() n(n-1)(n+1)(n^2+1) = p^4(p^4-1). \quad (*)
Note that exactly one of four co-factors in the left-hand side of the equation can be divisible by pp. Indeed, nn is coprime with any of numbers n1,n+1,n2+1n-1, n+1, n^2+1. From the equalities n+1=(n1)+2n+1 = (n-1)+2, n2+1=(n1)2+2(n1)+2n^2+1 = (n-1)^2+2(n-1)+2, n2+1=(n+1)22(n+1)+2n^2+1 = (n+1)^2 - 2(n+1) + 2 it follows that the greatest common divisor of any two of three numbers n1,n+1,n2+1n-1, n+1, n^2+1 is equal to 11 or 22. Therefore, any two of them have not pp as a common divisor.

Thus, exactly one of four co-factors in the left-hand side of ()(*) is divisible by pp, and so, it is divisible by p4p^4. Then this co-factor is not less than p4p^4. In any case n2+1p4n^2 + 1 \ge p^4 or n2p41n^2 \ge p^4 - 1. So p4(p41)=n(n21)(n2+1)n(p42)p4p^4(p^4 - 1) = n(n^2 - 1)(n^2 + 1) \ge n(p^4 - 2)p^4, whence p41n(p42)>2(p41)p^4 - 1 \ge n(p^4 - 2) > 2(p^4 - 1), which is impossible. Therefore, the pair (n;p)=(3;2)(n; p) = (3; 2) is a unique solution of the given equation.

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