A perfect square

Prove that for any natural number $x$ , $x(x+1)(x+2)(x+3)+1$ is a perfect square.

#Algebra

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

Markdown	Appears as
`italics` or `_italics_`	italics
`bold` or `__bold__`	bold
- bulleted - list	bulleted list
1. numbered 2. list	numbered list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1 paragraph 2	paragraph 1 paragraph 2
`[example link](https://brilliant.org)`	example link
`> This is a quote`	This is a quote
# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"	# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `$` ... `$` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$

Comments

I don't think this a legit proof but here it is.

the expression can be written as

$\large (x^{2}+3x)(x^{2}+3x+2)$ $\text{Now Substitute} \hspace{1mm}(\large x^{2}+3x) =y$ .

The above expression changes to $\large (y)(y+2)$ = $\large y^{2}+2y$

On Adding 1 gives us $\large y^{2}+2y+1$ = $(y+1)^{2}$

$\large QED$

Achal Jain - 4 years, 3 months ago

That works!

Note that you have to show that y+1 is an integer, so that the number is a perfect square (as opposed to a perfect square as an expression).

Calvin Lin Staff - 4 years, 3 months ago

Thanks

it is mentioned that $x$ is a natural number $\therefore$ $x^{2}+3x$ must also be an integer. This proves that $y$ must also be an integer.

Does this complete the proof?

Achal Jain - 4 years, 3 months ago

@Achal Jain – Yes.

(likely just a typo) Note that you want $x^2 + 3x = y$ .

Calvin Lin Staff - 4 years, 3 months ago

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$