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Czech Republic number theory
Problem
Find all integers such that is an th power of some integer. (Patrik Bak)
Solution
Let be an integer. We want to be an th power of some integer, i.e., there exists an integer such that .
This means that is a perfect th power. Let us write for some integer .
But , so we need , i.e., .
But is an integer, so divides . Since , divides implies divides .
The positive divisors of are and , but , so the only possibility is (which is excluded), or or (which are not ).
Alternatively, divides , so or (excluded), or , (excluded).
Therefore, there are no integers such that is an th power of an integer.
Answer: There are no such integers .
This means that is a perfect th power. Let us write for some integer .
But , so we need , i.e., .
But is an integer, so divides . Since , divides implies divides .
The positive divisors of are and , but , so the only possibility is (which is excluded), or or (which are not ).
Alternatively, divides , so or (excluded), or , (excluded).
Therefore, there are no integers such that is an th power of an integer.
Answer: There are no such integers .
Final answer
n = 4
Techniques
Factorization techniques