Which one of these positive integers can be written as a sum of two perfect squares?
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The number 7 8 9 6 3 4 has the prime factorization 2 × 3 9 4 8 1 7 is a product of 2 and a prime number that is congruent to 1 modulo 4 . Both of these primes are reducible in the Gaussian integers Z [ i ] , and hence 7 8 9 6 3 4 can be written as a sum of two squares. In fact it is equal to 7 9 5 2 + 3 9 7 2 .
The other numbers have prime factorisations (in order) 2 3 × 1 9 5 0 7 , 2 9 × 3 × 9 7 , 2 3 × 8 5 9 9 , 2 6 × 3 7 , 4 7 × 3 6 1 7 . In each case there is a prime factor with odd index that is congruent to 3 modulo 4 . In order, these could be 1 9 5 0 7 , 9 7 , 2 3 , 3 , 4 7 . Since such primes are irreducible in the Gaussian integers, these numbers cannot be written as a sum of squares.