Divisibility of unknown numbers #2

Number Theory Level pending

n n is an integer.

Is 2016 n + 3 2016n+3 ever a perfect cube?

Yes No

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

1 solution

Tin Le
Jul 31, 2020

Assume that there is an integer a a such that 2016 n + 3 = a 3 2016n+3=a^3 .

2016 n = a 3 3 \Leftrightarrow 2016n=a^3-3 ( 1 ) (1)

Let a = 7 m + r a=7m+r , where m m is an integer and r { 0 , ± 1 , ± 2 , ± 3 } r \in \{0,\pm 1, \pm 2, \pm 3 \}

Testing all the cases, we can conclude that a 3 3 a^3-3 is not divisible by 7.

However, 2016 n 2016n is divisible by 7. According to ( 1 ) (1) , this is clearly a contradiction.

Therefore, there is no such a a that 2016 n + 3 = a 3 2016n+3=a^3 . In other words, 2016 n + 3 2016n+3 isn't a perfect cube.

Hence, the answer is n o \boxed{no} .

Oh! That's not what you asked. The answer to the question you wrote is just " 3 3 isn't a cube" (or " 2019 2019 isn't a cube")

I think you wanted to say "is 2016 n + 3 2016n+3 ever a perfect cube?"

Chris Lewis - 10 months, 2 weeks ago

Log in to reply

Thanks for your suggestion!

Tin Le - 10 months, 2 weeks ago

Hi, it's a good problem. Are there any more like this, or related to this one, please share. I also had a confusion. How do determine the coefficient of m m for such problems. I've seen this multiple times. By selecting some value, like here, 7, after testing it comes out to be a contradiction. How to know which one to choose, since (obviously) it's not going to be 7 always. Thanks!

Mahdi Raza - 10 months, 1 week ago

Log in to reply

Hi Raza, thanks for your comment!

In order to make such problems like these, substituting m m for all values isn't always a viable way to do. Instead, I suggest utilizing some basic properties, like this problem, to make a hard problem. When it comes to solving integer solutions, I have many simple properties in mind and try to use them on a complex equation, or adding multiple steps to a simple equation. Logic should also be used.

Tin Le - 10 months, 1 week ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...