More fun in 2016, Part 6

y 2 = x 3 201 6 2 x y^2=x^3-2016^2x

How many integer points are there on the curve above (called an "elliptic curve")? We are not including the point at infinity in the count.

Hint : This is helpful.

Fewer than 3 3 More than 3

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1 solution

Otto Bretscher
Nov 25, 2015

We have the three trivial solutions ( 0 , 0 (0,0 and ( ± 2016 , 0 ) (\pm 2016,0) , but are there more?

In Part 4 of this fun-filled Series we found the arithmetic progression 4 7 2 , 6 5 2 , 7 9 2 47^2, 65^2, 79^2 with common difference 2016. Thus ( 47 65 79 ) 2 = 4 7 2 6 5 2 7 9 2 = ( 6 5 2 2016 ) 6 5 2 ( 6 5 2 + 2016 ) = 6 5 3 201 6 2 65 (47*65*79)^2=47^265^279^2=(65^2-2016)65^2(65^2+2016)=65^3-2016^2*65 , so that ( 6 5 2 , 47 65 79 ) (65^2,47*65*79) = ( 4225 , 241345 ) =(4225,241345) is a fourth integer point on our curve. We conclude that there are > 3 \boxed{> 3} such points.

More generally, if a 2 < b 2 < c 2 a^2<b^2<c^2 is an arithmetic progression with common difference n n , for rational a , b , c a,b,c , then ( b 2 , a b c ) (b^2,abc) is a nontrivial rational point on the elliptic curve y 2 = x 3 n 2 x y^2=x^3-n^2x .

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