Two Sums of Three Cubes

Find the number of solutions for p p , q q , r r , s s , t t , and u u that satisfy the equation:

p 3 + q 3 + r 3 = s 3 + t 3 + u 3 p^3 + q^3 + r^3 = s^3 + t^3 + u^3

where all six variables are positive integers with different values and the gcd ( p , q , r , s , t , u ) = 1 \gcd(p, q, r, s, t, u) = 1 .

Finitely many but more than 1 Infinitely many There is 0 solution

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2 solutions

David Vreken
Oct 16, 2020

Note that:

( a + b + c ) 3 = a 3 + b 3 + c 3 + 3 a 2 b + 3 a b 2 + 3 a 2 c + 3 a c 2 + 3 b 2 c + 3 b c 2 + 6 a b c (a + b + c)^3 = a^3 + b^3 + c^3 + 3a^2b + 3ab^2 + 3a^2c + 3ac^2 + 3b^2c + 3bc^2 + 6abc

( a + b + c ) 3 + a 3 + b 3 + c 3 = a 3 + 3 a 2 b + 3 a b 2 + b 3 + a 3 + 3 a 2 c + 3 a c 2 + c 3 + b 3 + 3 b 2 c + 3 b c 2 + c 3 + 6 a b c (a + b + c)^3 + a^3 + b^3 + c^3 = a^3 + 3a^2b + 3ab^2 + b^3 + a^3 + 3a^2c + 3ac^2 + c^3 + b^3 + 3b^2c + 3bc^2 + c^3 + 6abc

( a + b + c ) 3 + a 3 + b 3 + c 3 = ( a + b ) 3 + ( a + c ) 3 + ( b + c ) 3 + 6 a b c (a + b + c)^3 + a^3 + b^3 + c^3 = (a + b)^3 + (a + c)^3 + (b + c)^3 + 6abc

If c 3 = 6 a b c c^3 = 6abc , then c 2 = 6 a b c^2 = 6ab , and:

( a + b + c ) 3 + a 3 + b 3 = ( a + b ) 3 + ( a + c ) 3 + ( b + c ) 3 (a + b + c)^3 + a^3 + b^3 = (a + b)^3 + (a + c)^3 + (b + c)^3

Setting a = 2 a = 2 and b = 3 k 2 b = 3k^2 gives c = 6 k c = 6k and the generator:

( 3 k 2 + 6 k + 2 ) 3 + 2 3 + ( 3 k 2 ) 3 = ( 3 k 2 + 2 ) 3 + ( 6 k + 2 ) 3 + ( 3 k 2 + 6 k ) 3 (3k^2 + 6k + 2)^3 + 2^3 + (3k^2)^3 = (3k^2 + 2)^3 + (6k + 2)^3 + (3k^2 + 6k)^3

which produces infinitely many solutions that follow the given constraints when k k is a positive odd integer, such as:

2 3 + 3 3 + 1 1 3 = 5 3 + 8 3 + 9 3 2^3 + 3^3 + 11^3 = 5^3 + 8^3 + 9^3

2 3 + 2 7 3 + 4 7 3 = 2 0 3 + 2 9 3 + 4 5 3 2^3 + 27^3 + 47^3 = 20^3 + 29^3 + 45^3

2 3 + 7 5 3 + 10 7 3 = 3 2 3 + 7 7 3 + 10 5 3 2^3 + 75^3 + 107^3 = 32^3 + 77^3 + 105^3

and so on.


Some similar generators can be found. Setting a = 6 a = 6 and b = k 2 b = k^2 gives c = 6 k c = 6k and the generator:

( k 2 + 6 k + 6 ) 3 + 6 3 + ( k 2 ) 3 = ( k 2 + 6 k ) 3 + ( 6 k + 6 ) 3 + ( k 2 + 6 ) 3 (k^2 + 6k + 6)^3 + 6^3 + (k^2)^3 = (k^2 + 6k)^3 + (6k + 6)^3 + (k^2 + 6)^3

and setting a = 3 a = 3 and b = 2 k 2 b = 2k^2 gives c = 6 k c = 6k and the generator:

( 2 k 2 + 6 k + 3 ) 3 + 3 3 + ( 2 k 2 ) 3 = ( 2 k 2 + 6 k ) 3 + ( 6 k + 3 ) 3 + ( 2 k 2 + 3 ) 3 (2k^2 + 6k + 3)^3 + 3^3 + (2k^2)^3 = (2k^2 + 6k)^3 + (6k + 3)^3 + (2k^2 + 3)^3

Quite brilliantly found! I was looking for an identity like that, but could not find one. By the way, I think you dropped a factor 3 for all cross terms like a 2 b a^2b in the first two lines, but it does not matter from line 3 onwards.

K T - 7 months, 2 weeks ago

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Thanks, I edited it!

David Vreken - 7 months, 2 weeks ago
K T
Oct 26, 2020

Thanks to Hardy's cab number and Ramanujan we know that 9 3 + 1 0 3 + r 3 = 1 3 + 1 2 3 + u 3 9^3+10^3+r^3=1^3+12^3+u^3 will hold for any positive integer r = u r=u . Also note that gcd ( p , q , s , t ) = 1 gcd ( p , q , r , s , t , u ) = 1 \gcd(p,q,s,t)=1 \implies \gcd(p,q,r,s,t,u)=1 So we already found an infinite subset of the solutions.

Edit: The values had to be different, I did not read it well...

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