Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 4.8 AIME Find the answer

Compute the sum of all 2-digit prime numbers pp such that there exists a prime number qq for which 100q+p100 q+p is a perfect square.

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

All squares must end with 0,1,4,5,60,1,4,5,6, or 9, meaning that pp must end with 1 and 9. Moreover, since all odd squares are 1mod41 \bmod 4, we know that pp must be 1mod41 \bmod 4. This rules all primes except for 41,61,29,8941,61,29,89. Since 172=289,192=361,232=529,89,6117^{2}=289,19^{2}=361,23^{2}=529,89,61, and 29 all work. To finish, we claim that 41 does not work. If 100q+41100 q+41 were a square, then since all odd squares are 1mod81 \bmod 8 we find that 4q+11(mod8)4 q+1 \equiv 1(\bmod 8), implying that qq is even. But 241 is not a square, contradiction. The final answer is 29+61+89=17929+61+89=179.

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