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Belorusija 2012

Belarus 2012 number theory

Problem

Find all pairs of positive integers and satisfying the equality .
Solution
Answer: . By condition, Consider the obtained equation as a quadratic equation with respect to . It has positive integer roots only if the determinant of this equation is a perfect square of some integer number. But for any natural number , and for any natural number . Therefore, (1) has the natural roots only if or . If , then , so either or . If , then , so either or . Thus, (4; 2) is a unique pair of positive integers satisfying the problem condition.
Final answer
(4; 2)

Techniques

Techniques: modulo, size analysis, order analysis, inequalitiesLinear and quadratic inequalities