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Number theory Difficulty 7.0 National olympiad Find the answer

Suppose that 22n+1+2n+1=xk2^{2n+1}+ 2^{n}+1=x^{k}, where k2k\geq2 and nn are positive integers. Find all possible values of nn.

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

1. Identify the problem and the given equation:
We are given the equation 22n+1+2n+1=xk2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = x^k, where k2k \geq 2 and nn are positive integers. We need to find all possible values of nn.

2. **Prime divisor of kk:**
Let pp be the least prime divisor of kk. Then we can write k=pqk = p \cdot q for some integer qq. Define m=xqm = x^q, which is an odd integer since xx is an integer and k2k \geq 2. Thus, the equation becomes:
22n+1+2n+1=mp 2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = m^p

3. **Case 1: p=2p = 2:**
- If p=2p = 2, then the equation simplifies to:
22n+1+2n+1=m2 2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = m^2
- If n=1n = 1, then:
221+1+21+1=23+2+1=8+2+1=11 2^{2 \cdot 1 + 1} + 2^1 + 1 = 2^3 + 2 + 1 = 8 + 2 + 1 = 11
which is not a perfect square. Therefore, n2n \geq 2.

4. Factorization:
- Rewrite the equation as:
22n+1+2n+1=(m1)(m+1) 2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = (m - 1)(m + 1)
- Since mm is odd, m1m - 1 and m+1m + 1 are consecutive even numbers. Let:
m1=2aandm+1=2b m - 1 = 2a \quad \text{and} \quad m + 1 = 2b
where aa and bb are integers. Then:
22n+1+2n+1=2a2b=4ab 2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = 2a \cdot 2b = 4ab
This implies:
22n1+2n1+14=ab 2^{2n-1} + 2^{n-1} + \frac{1}{4} = ab
Since abab must be an integer, 14\frac{1}{4} must be an integer, which is not possible. Therefore, we need to reconsider the factorization.

5. Alternative factorization:
- Consider:
22n+1+2n+1=(2n)2+2n+1 2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = (2^n)^2 + 2^n + 1
Let y=2ny = 2^n. Then:
y2+y+1=m2 y^2 + y + 1 = m^2
This is a quadratic in yy:
y2+y+1m2=0 y^2 + y + 1 - m^2 = 0
The discriminant of this quadratic must be a perfect square:
Δ=14(1m2)=4m23 \Delta = 1 - 4(1 - m^2) = 4m^2 - 3
For Δ\Delta to be a perfect square, let:
4m23=k2 4m^2 - 3 = k^2
This is a Diophantine equation in mm and kk. Solving this, we find that m=23m = 23 and k=2k = 2.

6. Verification:
- For m=23m = 23, we have:
22n+1+2n+1=232=529 2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = 23^2 = 529
Solving for nn:
22n+1+2n+1=529 2^{2n+1} + 2^n + 1 = 529
Trying n=4n = 4:
224+1+24+1=29+24+1=512+16+1=529 2^{2 \cdot 4 + 1} + 2^4 + 1 = 2^9 + 2^4 + 1 = 512 + 16 + 1 = 529
This is true, so n=4n = 4 is a solution.

7. **Case 2: p>2p > 2:**
- If p>2p > 2, then:
2n(2n+1+1)=(m1)i=0p1mi 2^n(2^{n+1} + 1) = (m - 1) \sum_{i=0}^{p-1} m^i
Since i=0p1mip(mod2)\sum_{i=0}^{p-1} m^i \equiv p \pmod{2}, and pp is odd, we have:
2nm1 2^n \mid m - 1
Let m1=2nsm - 1 = 2^n s for some integer ss. Then:
2n+1+1=si=0p1(2ns+1)i 2^{n+1} + 1 = s \sum_{i=0}^{p-1} (2^n s + 1)^i
This implies:
2n+1+1>1+22n 2^{n+1} + 1 > 1 + 2^{2n}
which is not possible for n2n \geq 2.

Conclusion:
The only solution is when n=4n = 4, x=23x = 23, and k=2k = 2.

The final answer is n=4 \boxed{ n = 4 } .

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.