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k a April Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
Apr 2, 2025
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0 replies
jlacosta
Apr 2, 2025
0 replies
k i Adding contests to the Contest Collections
dcouchman   1
N Apr 5, 2023 by v_Enhance
Want to help AoPS remain a valuable Olympiad resource? Help us add contests to AoPS's Contest Collections.

Find instructions and a list of contests to add here: https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c40244h1064480_contests_to_add
1 reply
dcouchman
Sep 9, 2019
v_Enhance
Apr 5, 2023
k i Zero tolerance
ZetaX   49
N May 4, 2019 by NoDealsHere
Source: Use your common sense! (enough is enough)
Some users don't want to learn, some other simply ignore advises.
But please follow the following guideline:


To make it short: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!
If you don't have common sense, don't post.


More specifically:

For new threads:


a) Good, meaningful title:
The title has to say what the problem is about in best way possible.
If that title occured already, it's definitely bad. And contest names aren't good either.
That's in fact a requirement for being able to search old problems.

Examples:
Bad titles:
- "Hard"/"Medium"/"Easy" (if you find it so cool how hard/easy it is, tell it in the post and use a title that tells us the problem)
- "Number Theory" (hey guy, guess why this forum's named that way¿ and is it the only such problem on earth¿)
- "Fibonacci" (there are millions of Fibonacci problems out there, all posted and named the same...)
- "Chinese TST 2003" (does this say anything about the problem¿)
Good titles:
- "On divisors of a³+2b³+4c³-6abc"
- "Number of solutions to x²+y²=6z²"
- "Fibonacci numbers are never squares"


b) Use search function:
Before posting a "new" problem spend at least two, better five, minutes to look if this problem was posted before. If it was, don't repost it. If you have anything important to say on topic, post it in one of the older threads.
If the thread is locked cause of this, use search function.

Update (by Amir Hossein). The best way to search for two keywords in AoPS is to input
[code]+"first keyword" +"second keyword"[/code]
so that any post containing both strings "first word" and "second form".


c) Good problem statement:
Some recent really bad post was:
[quote]$lim_{n\to 1}^{+\infty}\frac{1}{n}-lnn$[/quote]
It contains no question and no answer.
If you do this, too, you are on the best way to get your thread deleted. Write everything clearly, define where your variables come from (and define the "natural" numbers if used). Additionally read your post at least twice before submitting. After you sent it, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.


For answers to already existing threads:


d) Of any interest and with content:
Don't post things that are more trivial than completely obvious. For example, if the question is to solve $x^{3}+y^{3}=z^{3}$, do not answer with "$x=y=z=0$ is a solution" only. Either you post any kind of proof or at least something unexpected (like "$x=1337, y=481, z=42$ is the smallest solution). Someone that does not see that $x=y=z=0$ is a solution of the above without your post is completely wrong here, this is an IMO-level forum.
Similar, posting "I have solved this problem" but not posting anything else is not welcome; it even looks that you just want to show off what a genius you are.

e) Well written and checked answers:
Like c) for new threads, check your solutions at least twice for mistakes. And after sending, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.



To repeat it: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!


Everything definitely out of range of common sense will be locked or deleted (exept for new users having less than about 42 posts, they are newbies and need/get some time to learn).

The above rules will be applied from next monday (5. march of 2007).
Feel free to discuss on this here.
49 replies
ZetaX
Feb 27, 2007
NoDealsHere
May 4, 2019
>=512 different isosceles triangles whose vertices have the same color
parmenides51   1
N a few seconds ago by AlexCenteno2007
Source: Mathematics Regional Olympiad of Mexico West 2016 P6
The vertices of a regular polygon with $2016$ sides are colored gold or silver. Prove that there are at least $512$ different isosceles triangles whose vertices have the same color.
1 reply
parmenides51
Sep 7, 2022
AlexCenteno2007
a few seconds ago
Fourth power ineq
Project_Donkey_into_M4   1
N 41 minutes ago by sqing
Source: 2018 Mock RMO tdp and kayak P1
Let $a,b,c,d \in \mathbb{R}^+$ such that $a+b+c+d \leq 1$. Prove that\[\sqrt[4]{(1-a^4)(1-b^4)(1-c^4)(1-d^4)}\geq 255\cdot abcd.\]
1 reply
Project_Donkey_into_M4
Yesterday at 6:20 PM
sqing
41 minutes ago
Is this FE solvable?
ItzsleepyXD   0
44 minutes ago
Source: Original
Let $c_1,c_2 \in \mathbb{R^+}$. Find all $f : \mathbb{R^+} \rightarrow \mathbb{R^+}$ such that for all $x,y \in \mathbb{R^+}$ $$f(x+c_1f(y))=f(x)+c_2f(y)$$
0 replies
ItzsleepyXD
44 minutes ago
0 replies
Dear Sqing: So Many Inequalities...
hashtagmath   36
N an hour ago by sqing
I have noticed thousands upon thousands of inequalities that you have posted to HSO and was wondering where you get the inspiration, imagination, and even the validation that such inequalities are true? Also, what do you find particularly appealing and important about specifically inequalities rather than other branches of mathematics? Thank you :)
36 replies
hashtagmath
Oct 30, 2024
sqing
an hour ago
Advanced topics in Inequalities
va2010   18
N an hour ago by sqing
So a while ago, I compiled some tricks on inequalities. You are welcome to post solutions below!
18 replies
va2010
Mar 7, 2015
sqing
an hour ago
two subsets with no fewer than four common elements.
micliva   39
N an hour ago by de-Kirschbaum
Source: All-Russian Olympiad 1996, Grade 9, First Day, Problem 4
In the Duma there are 1600 delegates, who have formed 16000 committees of 80 persons each. Prove that one can find two committees having no fewer than four common members.

A. Skopenkov
39 replies
micliva
Apr 18, 2013
de-Kirschbaum
an hour ago
3 knightlike moves is enough
sarjinius   2
N an hour ago by cooljoseph
Source: Philippine Mathematical Olympiad 2025 P6
An ant is on the Cartesian plane. In a single move, the ant selects a positive integer $k$, then either travels [list]
[*] $k$ units vertically (up or down) and $2k$ units horizontally (left or right); or
[*] $k$ units horizontally (left or right) and $2k$ units vertically (up or down).
[/list]
Thus, for any $k$, the ant can choose to go to one of eight possible points.
Prove that, for any integers $a$ and $b$, the ant can travel from $(0, 0)$ to $(a, b)$ using at most $3$ moves.
2 replies
sarjinius
Mar 9, 2025
cooljoseph
an hour ago
16th ibmo - uruguay 2001/q3.
carlosbr   21
N an hour ago by de-Kirschbaum
Source: Spanish Communities
Let $S$ be a set of $n$ elements and $S_1,\ S_2,\dots,\ S_k$ are subsets of $S$ ($k\geq2$), such that every one of them has at least $r$ elements.

Show that there exists $i$ and $j$, with $1\leq{i}<j\leq{k}$, such that the number of common elements of $S_i$ and $S_j$ is greater or equal to: $r-\frac{nk}{4(k-1)}$
21 replies
carlosbr
Apr 15, 2006
de-Kirschbaum
an hour ago
Weird Geo
Anto0110   1
N an hour ago by cooljoseph
In a trapezium $ABCD$, the sides $AB$ and $CD$ are parallel and the angles $\angle ABC$ and $\angle BAD$ are acute. Show that it is possible to divide the triangle $ABC$ into 4 disjoint triangle $X_1. . . , X_4$ and the triangle $ABD$ into 4 disjoint triangles $Y_1,. . . , Y_4$ such that the triangles $X_i$ and $Y_i$ are congruent for all $i$.
1 reply
Anto0110
Yesterday at 9:24 PM
cooljoseph
an hour ago
Hard FE R^+
DNCT1   5
N 3 hours ago by jasperE3
Find all functions $f:\mathbb{R^+}\to\mathbb{R^+}$ such that
$$f(3x+f(x)+y)=f(4x)+f(y)\quad\forall x,y\in\mathbb{R^+}$$
5 replies
DNCT1
Dec 30, 2020
jasperE3
3 hours ago
Maximum of Incenter-triangle
mpcnotnpc   4
N 3 hours ago by mpcnotnpc
Triangle $\Delta ABC$ has side lengths $a$, $b$, and $c$. Select a point $P$ inside $\Delta ABC$, and construct the incenters of $\Delta PAB$, $\Delta PBC$, and $\Delta PAC$ and denote them as $I_A$, $I_B$, $I_C$. What is the maximum area of the triangle $\Delta I_A I_B I_C$?
4 replies
mpcnotnpc
Mar 25, 2025
mpcnotnpc
3 hours ago
Something nice
KhuongTrang   26
N 3 hours ago by KhuongTrang
Source: own
Problem. Given $a,b,c$ be non-negative real numbers such that $ab+bc+ca=1.$ Prove that

$$\sqrt{a+1}+\sqrt{b+1}+\sqrt{c+1}\le 1+2\sqrt{a+b+c+abc}.$$
26 replies
1 viewing
KhuongTrang
Nov 1, 2023
KhuongTrang
3 hours ago
Tiling rectangle with smaller rectangles.
MarkBcc168   59
N 4 hours ago by Bonime
Source: IMO Shortlist 2017 C1
A rectangle $\mathcal{R}$ with odd integer side lengths is divided into small rectangles with integer side lengths. Prove that there is at least one among the small rectangles whose distances from the four sides of $\mathcal{R}$ are either all odd or all even.

Proposed by Jeck Lim, Singapore
59 replies
MarkBcc168
Jul 10, 2018
Bonime
4 hours ago
Existence of AP of interesting integers
DVDthe1st   34
N 4 hours ago by DeathIsAwe
Source: 2018 China TST Day 1 Q2
A number $n$ is interesting if 2018 divides $d(n)$ (the number of positive divisors of $n$). Determine all positive integers $k$ such that there exists an infinite arithmetic progression with common difference $k$ whose terms are all interesting.
34 replies
DVDthe1st
Jan 2, 2018
DeathIsAwe
4 hours ago
IMO ShortList 1998, number theory problem 5
orl   63
N Apr 13, 2025 by ATM_
Source: IMO ShortList 1998, number theory problem 5
Determine all positive integers $n$ for which there exists an integer $m$ such that ${2^{n}-1}$ is a divisor of ${m^{2}+9}$.
63 replies
orl
Oct 22, 2004
ATM_
Apr 13, 2025
IMO ShortList 1998, number theory problem 5
G H J
Source: IMO ShortList 1998, number theory problem 5
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lnzhonglp
120 posts
#55 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
The answer is when $n$ is a power of $2$, including $n = 1$.

Proof n must be a power of 2:
Assume $n \geq 3$ is not a power of $2$. Then there exists an odd integer $k$ such that $$2^k-1 \mid 2^n - 1 \mid m^2 + 3^2.$$Since $2^k -1 \equiv 3 \pmod 4$, $2^k -1$ must have a $3 \pmod 4$ prime factor. From Fermat's Christmas Theorem, $2^k -1$ cannot have any $3 \bmod 4$ prime factors other than $3$. However, $$ 2^k-1 \equiv (-1)^k -1 \equiv 1 \pmod 3,$$so this is impossible. Therefore, $n$ must be a power of $2$.

Proof n is a power of 2 works:
Let $n = 2^k$, and $p$ be a prime such that $p \mid 2^{2^k} - 1$. Let the $a$ be the order of $2 \pmod p$. Then $a \mid \gcd(2^k, p-1).$ If $p \equiv 3 \pmod 4$, we must have $a = 2$, so $p = 3$. Therefore, $3$ is the only $3 \pmod 4$ prime factor of $2^{2^k} -1$, and all other prime factors are $1\pmod 4$. If $3^2 \mid 2^{2^k} - 1$, then we get $6 \mid 2^k$, since the order of $2 \pmod 9$ is $6$. This is clearly impossible, therefore $9 \nmid 2^{2^k}$. Thus, from Fermat's Christmas Theorem, there exists $m$ such that $2^{2^k} - 1 \mid m^2 + 9$.
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AlanLG
241 posts
#56 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
nice :blush: $$\boxed{\text{The answer are all powers of 2.} }$$ Claim. $n$ must be a power of $2$
take a odd divisor $k>1$ of $n$, then $2^k-1\mid 2^n-1\mid m^2+9$ by Fermat Christmas Theorem all prime divisors of $m^2+9$ are $1\pmod 4$ or $3$, but $2^k-1\not\equiv 3\pmod 3$ as $k$ odd, nor $2^k-1\equiv 1 \pmod 4$, a contradiction.

Claim. all powers of $2$ work.
Let $n=2^k$, write $$2^{2^k}-1=(2+1)(2^2+1)(2^{2^2}+1)\cdots (2^{2^{k-1}}+1)$$Note that each term except for the first one, by Fermat Christmas Theorem have only $1\pmod 4$ prime divisors, so choose $g$ a primitive root $\pmod {p^\theta}$ then by Chinese Remainder Theorem exists $m$ such that $$m\equiv 3 g^{\frac{\phi({p^\theta})}{4}}\pmod {p^\theta} \hspace{0.4cm}\forall\hspace{0.2cm} p\mid 2^{2^j}+1 \hspace{0.5cm}\text{and} \hspace{0.5cm} m\equiv 0\pmod 3$$then $p^\theta\mid m^2+9$ , and $3\mid m^2+9$, as $\text{Fermat numbers}$ are relative primes we would have that $2^{2^n}-1\mid m^2+9$, as desired.
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joshualiu315
2513 posts
#57 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
The answer is $\boxed{\text{powers of 2}}$.

Let $d$ be the largest odd prime divisor of $n$. For the sake of contradiction, assume $d>1$. Fermat's Christmas Theorem states that the factors of $m^2+9$ are either $1 \pmod{4}$ or $3$. Since $2^d-1$ divides $2^n-1$, all the factors of $2^d-1$ are either $1 \pmod{4}$ or $3$. Then, as

\[2^d-1 \equiv 3 \pmod{4},\]
it must contain a factor that is $3 \pmod{4}$, contradicting our assumption that $d>1$.

To prove the powers of $2$ work, induction with difference of squares easily works.
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shendrew7
794 posts
#58 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Our answer is $\boxed{n=2^b, b \ge 0}$. The most convenient method to show each works is by setting $m=3a$. Our condition is reduced to proving there exists such an $a$ with
\[2^{2^b}-1 = 3\left(2^2+1\right)\left(2^{2^2}+1\right) \ldots \left(2^{2^{b-1}}-1\right) \mid 3(a^2+1) \mid (3a)^2+9.\]
Since the Fermat primes are pairwise relatively prime, and we have the solution $a \equiv 2^{2^{t-1}} \pmod{2^{2^t}+1}$ for each $t$, there must exist such an $a$.

Otherwise, suppose $p>1$ is an odd prime divisor of $n$. Then neither 2 or 3 are factors of $2^p-1 \equiv 3 \pmod 4$, so Fermat's Christmas Theorem tells us we must have $p \equiv 1 \pmod 4$ for all prime divisors of $n$, contradiction. $\blacksquare$
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peppapig_
280 posts
#60 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Since it's not specified that $m$ has to be an integer, the answer is obviously all positive integers $n$! (Just kidding! Real solution below)

I claim that the answer is all $n$ that can be expressed in the form of $2^k$ for some nonnegative integer $k$.

First, note that by Fermat's Christmas Theorem, if a prime $p$ divides $m^2+3^2$, then it is either $1$ mod $4$ or it divides $\gcd(m,3)$. Using this, I now claim that $n$ cannot have any prime factor $p$ that is larger than $2$. FTSOC, assume that $p\mid n$, where $p>2$. This then implies that
\[2^p-1\mid 2^n-1,\]and since $p>2$, we have that $2^p-1$ must be $3$ mod $4$. Additionally, since $p$ is a prime $>2$, this means that $p$ is odd, implying that
\[2^p-1 \equiv 2-1\equiv 1\mod 3,\]so if $2^p-1$ is $3$ mod $4$, some other prime $q\neq 3$ divides $2^p-1$, a contradiction to the Christmas Theorem statement. Therefore $n$ cannot have any prime factor $p>2$, meaning that $n$ must be in the form of $2^k$ in order for $2^n-1$ to have a multiple in the form of $m^2+9$.

I now claim that for all $n=2^k$, $2^n-1$ has a multiple of the form $m^2+9$. I will prove this using induction. Suppose that $2^{2^k}-1$ for $k\geq 1$ has a multiple of the form $m^2+9$. This implies that $-9$ is a quadratic residue mod $2^{2^k}-1$. Now, note that
\[2^{2^{k+1}}-1=(2^{2^k}-1)(2^{2^k}+1),\]and that $\gcd(2^{2^k}-1,2^{2^k}+1)=1$. Therefore, since we already know that $-9$ is a quadratic residue mod $2^{2^k}-1$, we just need to prove that $-9$ is also a quadratic residue mod $2^{2^k}-1$. Since the two modulos are relatively prime, by CRT, this will also prove that $-9$ is a quadratic residue mod $2^{2^{k+1}}-1$, meaning that a multiple of $2^{2^{k+1}}-1$ in the form of $m^2+9$.

Using this, notice that,
\[(2^{2^{k-1}})^2 \equiv -1 \mod (2^{2^{k}}+1) \iff (3*2^{2^{k-1}})^2 \equiv -9 \mod (2^{2^{k}}+1),\]which proves that $-9$ is indeed a quadratic residue mod $2^{2^{k}}+1$. Therefore, if there exists a multiple of $2^{2^{k}}+1$ in the form of $m_1^2+9$, then there exists a multiple of $2^{2^{k+1}}+1$ in the form of $m_2^2+9$!

Finally, to complete our induction, we need to cover the base case of $n=2$ and the external case $n=1$. The latter is covered by $m=0$ and the former also by $m=0$. Therefore, there exists a multiple of $2^n-1$ in the form of $m^2+9$ if and only if $n$ is a power of $2$, finishing the problem.
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by peppapig_, Mar 14, 2024, 12:48 AM
Reason: Parentheses
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SenorSloth
37 posts
#61 • 2 Y
Y by OronSH, cubres
We claim that the answer is $n=2^x$ for some nonnegative integer $x$.

We start by proving that all other numbers fail. For any odd integer $n>1$, we have that $3\nmid 2^n-1$. We also have that $2^n-1\equiv 3\pmod{4}$, which implies that $2^n-1$ must have some prime divisor $p\equiv 3\pmod{4}$, and $p\neq3$. Since we require $2^n-1\mid m^2+9$, this prime must also divide $m^2+9$. However, we can then apply Fermat's Christmas theorem on $m^2+9$ to show that any prime $p$ dividing $m^2+3^2$ is either $p\equiv 1\pmod{4}$ or $p=3$, contradiction. Any even $n$ that is not a power of $2$ will have some odd factor $x>1$, and since $2^x-1\mid 2^n-1$ we get the same contradiction.

Now we prove that $n=2^k$ works. $k=0$ gives $2^n-1=1$, which clearly works. We will now prove that for positive $k$, $2^{2^k}-1$ is the product of $3$ and some (not necessarily distinct) primes that are $1\pmod{4}$. We will use induction to do this, with base case $k=1$ and $2^{2^k}-1=3$. For the inductive step, we notice that $2^{2^{k+1}}-1=(2^{2^k}-1)(2^{2^k}+1)$, so we just need to prove that $2^{2^k}+1$ only has prime factors that are $1\pmod 4$. This is true by applying Fermat's Christmas Theorem, so the induction is complete.

Now we just need to show there exists a working $m$. We can factor $2^n-1$ into powers of distinct primes, and consider each prime power separately. For the factor of $3$, just select $m\equiv0\pmod{3}$. For the other primes, which must have $p\equiv 1\pmod{4}$, we need to show that there exists a value of $m\pmod{p^k}$ such that $m^2+9\equiv\left(\frac m3 \right)^2+1\equiv 0 \pmod{p^k}$. It is well-known that there exists a primitive root $g$ with order $\phi(p^k)=(p-1)(p^{k-1})$. Since we know $\frac{p-1}{4}$ is an integer, we can let $\frac m3\equiv g^{\frac{(p-1)(p^{k-1})}{4}}\pmod{p^k}$ so that $\left(\frac m3 \right)^2\equiv -1 \pmod{p}$. Then we just multiply by $3$ to get a working value for $m\pmod{p^k}$. Then by applying CRT on all of the separate prime powers, we know that there will exist a value of $m$ such that $m^2+9$ is divisible by all of the prime powers together, and we are done.
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blueberryfaygo_55
340 posts
#62 • 2 Y
Y by megarnie, cubres
The answer is all $n =2^k$ where $k$ is a nonnegative integer. We first introduce the following lemma.

Lemma. For $n>1$, every prime divisor of $2^n-1$ is either $3$ or congruent to $1 \pmod 4$ if and only if $n$ is a power of $2$.
Proof. First suppose that $n=2^k$, and let $p$ be a prime divisor of $2^n-1$. We have $$2^{2^k} \equiv 1 \pmod p$$so letting $\mathrm{ord}_p(2) = r$, it follows that $$\begin{cases} r \mid 2^k \\ r \mid p-1 \end{cases}$$so $r=2^l$ for $l \geq 1$. If $l=1$, then $4 \equiv 1 \pmod p$ or $p=3$; otherwise, $r \equiv 0 \pmod 4$, so we must have $4 \mid p-1$ or $p \equiv 1 \pmod 4$.
Now, we show that if every prime divisor $p$ of $2^n-1$ is either $3$ or congruent to $1 \pmod 4$, then $n$ must be a power of $2$. For the sake of contradiction, suppose $n$ is not a power of $2$. Then, $n = 2^u \cdot w$ where $u$ is a nonnegative integer and $w$ is an odd integer greater than $1$. We know that $$2^w - 1 \mid 2^n - 1$$but $2^w - 1 \equiv (-1)^w - 1 \equiv 1 \not \equiv 0 \pmod 3$, so every prime dividing $2^w-1$ is congruent to $1 \pmod 4$. It is then clear that $$2^w - 1 \equiv 1 \pmod 4$$so $w=1$, a contradiction, giving the lemma. $\blacksquare$

Returning to the problem, suppose $q$ is a prime divisor of $2^n-1$. The given condition implies that $$m^2 \equiv -9 \pmod q$$so either $q=3$ or $$\left(\dfrac{-9}{q}\right) = \left(\dfrac{9}{q}\right) \left(\dfrac{-1}{q}\right) = \left(\dfrac{-1}{q}\right) = -1.$$It follows that $q \equiv 1 \pmod 4$, but $q$ is an arbitrary prime dividing $2^n-1$, so every prime dividing $2^n-1$ is congruent to $1 \pmod 4$. Applying the lemma finishes, since if $n$ is a power of $2$, we have $-9$ as a quadratic residue modulo every prime divisor of $n$ (or divisible by the prime divisor $3$), and the construction of $m$ follows from using the Chinese Remainder Theorem on the prime divisors of $n$. $\blacksquare$
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Eka01
204 posts
#63 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Been a while since I wrote solutions.
We claim that the answer is all $n$ of the form $\boxed {n=2^k}$.
First note by Fermat's Two Squares Theorem that any prime factor of $m^2+9$ is either equal to $3$ or congruent to $1(mod \ 4)$.
Now if $n$ is odd, it is trivial to observe that $2^n -1 \equiv 3(mod \ 4)$ for $n \geq 3$ so it follows that the required $n$ must be of the form $2^k$. We now show that these indeed work.
Proceed by induction.
We assume that $ 2^{2^k} -1 | m^2 +9$. Now we need to show that $2^{2^{k+1}} -1 | (m+a)^2 +9$ or that $a^2 +2am$ is divisible by $2^{2^k} -1$ and $2^{2^k} +1$. Since they are both coprime, the result follows by $CRT$ (This probably requires some care but good enough for a comeback I suppose).
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onyqz
195 posts
#64 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
great problem
solution
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SomeonesPenguin
125 posts
#65 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
The answer is $n=2^k$ where $k$ is a positive integer. We will use the following lemma:

If $p\equiv 3\pmod 4$ and $p\mid x^2+y^2$, then $p\mid x$ and $p\mid y$.

In particular, this means that $2^n-1$ has at most one prime factor that is $3$ modulo $4$, which is $3$. Suppose now that there is some prime number $p\mid n$, $p\equiv 3\pmod 4$. Clearly \[2^p-1\mid 2^n-1\mid m^2+9\]Notice now that $2^p-1\equiv 3\pmod 4$ so it must have a prime factor that is $3$ modulo $4$. This also can't be $3$ since $3\nmid 2^p-1$ (because $p$ is odd), hence we get a contradiction.

Therefore, $n=2^k$ for some positive integer $k$. We prove that all such $n$ work.

Note that we basically don't care about the $3$ in $2^{2^k}-1$ since from LTE $\nu_3\left(2^{2^k}-1\right)=1$ so we can just take $3\mid m$.

Now I claim that the only prime factor that is $3$ modulo $4$ of $2^{2^k}-1$ is $3$.
Proof: Note that \[2^{2^k}-1=(2+1)\left(2^2+1\right)\dots\left(2^{2^{k-1}}+1\right)\]Besides the first factor, all of them are of the form $x^2+1$ so they can't have a prime factor $p\equiv 3\pmod 4$. $\square$

For any other prime number $p\mid 2^{2^k}-1$ (note that from the above we have $p\equiv 1\pmod 4$) we have $\gcd(3,p)=1$ so $3\mid m$ doesn't affect us. Now note \[\left(\dfrac{-9}{q}\right)=\left(\dfrac{-1}{q}\right) \cdot \left(\dfrac{9}{q}\right)=1\]So there is some $m$ such that $p\mid m^2+9$. Therefore, by CRT we can find the desired $m$. $\blacksquare$
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EpicBird08
1746 posts
#67 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Does my proof of sufficiency work?

The answer is $n = 2^k$. Assume $n > 1$ since $n = 1$ trivially holds.

Necessity: Suppose that an odd number $d > 1$ divided $n,$ so that $2^d - 1$ divides $m^2 + 9$ and so $m^2 \equiv -9 \pmod{2^d - 1}.$ Since $d$ is odd, we have that $2^d - 1$ is not divisible by $3,$ and so we can further reduce this to $m^2 \equiv -1 \pmod{2^d - 1},$ i.e. $2^d - 1$ divides $m^2 + 1.$ We know by orders that $m^2 + 1$ only has prime divisors equivalent to $1 \pmod{4},$ so all divisors of $m^2 + 1$ are equivalent to $1 \pmod{4}.$ But $2^d - 1 \equiv 3 \pmod{4}$ for $d > 1,$ yielding a contradiction.

Sufficiency: Let $n = 2^k.$ We will construct such a number $m$ inductively, with the base case $k = 1$ holding with $m = 0.$ Now assume that we have a number $m$ such that $$m^2 \equiv -9 \pmod{2^{2^k} -1}.$$Since $2^{2^{k+1}} - 1 = (2^{2^k} - 1)(2^{2^k} + 1)$ and $\gcd(2^{2^k} - 1, 2^{2^k} + 1) = 1,$ we just need to find a number $m$ such that $m^2 \equiv -9 \pmod{2^{2^k} + 1}$, from which we are done by the Chinese Remainder Theorem. Clearly $2^{2^k} + 1$ is not divisible by $3,$ so we can reduce this to $m^2 \equiv -1 \pmod{2^{2^k} + 1}.$

Factor $2^{2^k} + 1 = p_1^{e_1} \cdot p_2^{e_2} \cdots p_k^{e_k}$ where the $p_i$ are primes and $e_i \in \mathbb{N}_0$ such that $p_i \equiv 1 \pmod{4}$ for all $i.$ By the Chinese Remainder Theorem, it suffices to show that $m^2 \equiv -1$ has a solution modulo $p_i^{e_i}$ for all $i.$ Notice that $p_i^{e_i}$ has a primitive root, and $\phi(p_i^{e_i}) = (p_i - 1)p_i^{e_i - 1}$ is divisible by $4,$ which readily implies that $-1$ is a quadratic residue. Combining all these congruences gives us our desired $m.$

Therefore, the only $n$ such that $2^n - 1$ has a multiple of the form $m^2 + 9$ are powers of two, which we have confirmed to work.
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smileapple
1010 posts
#68 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Suppose that $k\mid n$ for some odd $k>2$. If $m^2\equiv-9\pmod{2^n-1}$ for some $m$, then $m^2\equiv-9\pmod{2^k-1}$. Since $2^k\equiv2\pmod3$, we have $(\frac{m}3)^2\equiv-1\pmod{2^k-1}$. Since $2^k-1\equiv3\pmod4$, it follows that $-1$ is a quadratic residue modulo $p$ for some prime divisor $p$ such that $p\equiv3\pmod4$, a contradiction. Hence, if $n$ is not a power of $2$, then $2^n-1$ has no multiple of the form $m^2+9$.

Suppose that $-9$ is a quadratic residue modulo $2^{2^r}-1$ for some nonnegative integer $r$. note that $(3\cdot 2^{2^{r-1}})^2\equiv-9\pmod{2^{2^r}+1}$. Then $-9$ is a quadratic residue modulo $(2^{2^r}-1)(2^{2^r}+1)=2^{2^{r+1}}-1$. By induction, it follows that $-9$ is a quadratic residue modulo $2^{2^r}-1$ for all $r$, so that $2^{2^r}-1$ has a multiple of the form $m^2+9$.

We thus conclude that the solution set for $n$ is given by $\boxed{\{2^r\mid r\in\mathbb{Z},r\ge0\}}.$ $\blacksquare$
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cursed_tangent1434
592 posts
#69 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Mid problem, but I think it's quite instructive. Doesn't help if you misread and spend a non-trivial amount of time trying to solve the problem with 'divisor' instead of 'multiple'.

We claim that the answer is all positive integers $n$ of the form $n=2^k$ for some non-negative integer $k$. When $n=1$ the result is clear so we deal with $n>1$ in what follows. First we shall show that all the claimed solutions indeed work.

Clearly $3 \mid 2^{2^k}-1$ and in particular, Lifting the Exponent Lemma tells us that $\nu_3(2^{2^{k}}-1)=\nu_3(3)+\nu_3(2^{k-1})=1$. Thus, we can write
\[2^n-1=3 \cdot p_1^{a_1}\cdot p_2^{a_2}\cdots p_r^{a^r}\]for distinct odd primes $p_1, p_2, \cdots , p_r$. We first claim the following.

Claim : All primes $p_1,p_2,\dots , p_r$ are $1 \pmod{4}$.

Proof : Simply note that since
\[2^{2^k}-1=(2-1)(2+1)(2^2+1)\dots (2^{2^{k-1}}+1)\]Since each index of $2$ beyond the second factor is even, none of these factors are divisible by 3. Further, if $p \equiv 3 \pmod{4}$ (and $p>3$) divides one of these terms, then $p \mid 2^{2^i}+1$ for some $i \ge 1$. However, this is a clear contradiction by Fermat's Christmas Theorem implying that the left-hand expression has no $3 \pmod{4}$ primes factors as claimed.


We let $3 \mid m$. Further, for each prime $p_i \mid 2^{2^k}-1$ we have,
\[(-9)^{\frac{p_i-1}{2}} \equiv (-1)^{\frac{p_i-1}{2}}\cdot 9^{\frac{p_i-1}{2}} \equiv (-1)^{\frac{p_i-1}{2}} \equiv 1 \pmod{p_i}\]since $4 \mid p_i-1$ as noted above. Thus, $-9$ is a QR $\pmod{p_i}$. Thus, for each prime $p_i$ there exists some positive integer $x_i$ for which $p_i \mid x_i^2+9$. We now resort to induction.

Say there exists a positive integer $x_{im}$ such that $p^m \mid x_{im}^2+9$ for some $m \ge 1$. We note that,
\[(x_{im}+kp^m)^2+9\]is injective $\pmod{p^{m+1}}$ and in the set $\{0,p^m,2\cdot p^m,\dots (p-1)\cdot p^m\}$ as $k$ ranges from $0$ to $p-1$. Thus, one of these values for $k$ gives a new positive integer $x_{i(m+1)}=x_{im}+kp^m$ such that $p^{m+1}\mid x_{i(m+1)}^2+9$.

Now, applying the inductive described above to $p_i$, we conclude that there must exist some positive integer $y_i$ such that $p_i^{a_i} \mid y_i^2 +9$ for all $1 \le i \le r$. We apply CRT on $3 , p_1,p_2,\dots , p_r$ to construct a suitable value for $m$ and finish.

To see why no other $n$ work, say $p \mid n$ and $2<p<n$. Thus,
\[2^p-1\mid 2^n-1 \mid m^2+9\]Since $p>2$ the left-hand side is $3 \pmod{4}$ and thus, some prime factor of $2^p-1$ , $q \ne 9 \equiv 3 \pmod{4}$ exists. However, by Fermat's Christmas Theorem this is a clear contradiction as we must have $q \mid 9$.
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AshAuktober
990 posts
#70 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Odd $n$ don't work so $n$ must be a power of 2. Such $n$ can be shown to work using CRT combined with LTE to show $\nu_3$ can't be too large.

Also why is misreading this so real lmfao.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by AshAuktober, Apr 10, 2025, 12:18 PM
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ATM_
17 posts
#71 • 1 Y
Y by cubres
Suppose $n$ has an odd prime divisor d , such that : $d>1$
We have : $2^d-1|2^n-1$
Hence : $2^d-1|a^2+9$
$d>1\implies 2^d-1>1$ , thus: $2^d-1$ has an odd prime divisor p
By Fermat Christmas theorem: $p \equiv 1[4]$
Hence : $p|a^2+9\implies a^2\iff -9[p]$
Using quadratic recopricity : $\left(\dfrac{-9}{p}\right)=\left(\dfrac{-1}{p}\right).\left(\dfrac{3}{p}\right)^2=-1.\left(\dfrac{3}{p}\right)^2$
Because : $p\iff 3[4]$

If: $p\neq 3$ , then:$ \left(\dfrac{3}{p}\right)=\pm 1\implies \left(\dfrac{3}{p}\right)^2=1$
So :b$ \left(\dfrac{-9}{p}\right)=-1$ (not a quadratic residu mod p)
Absurde , Hence: $p=3$

So: $3|2^d-1\implies 2^d\equiv 1[3]$
Hence : $o_p(2)|d\implies 2|d$
Absurde ,cause d is odd
Thus n has no odd divisors
Which means $n$ is a power of 2
Let : $n=2^k/k\in \mathbb{N}$

Proof by induction:
For $n=1,2^n-1=1|a^2+9$
True
Suppose :$\exists a\in \mathbb{N}:a^2\equiv -9[2^{2^{k}}-1]$

We habe : $2^{2^{k+1}}-1=(2^k-1)(2^k+1)$
For some positive integer $a_1=3×2^{2^{k-1}},with :k\in \mathbb{N}*$
We have : $a_1^2+9=9×2^{2^k}+9=9(2^{2^k}+1)$
Thus : $2^{2^k}+1|a_1^2+9$
And : $a^2\equiv -9[2^{2^k}-1]$
Because : $pgcd(2^{2^k}-1,2^{2^k}+1)=gcd(2^{2^k}+1,2)=1$
By CRT: $\exists b\in \mathbb{N}:b\equiv a_1[2^{2^k}+1]$ and $b\equiv a[2^{2^k}-1]$
$\implies b^2\equiv a^2\equiv -9[2^{2^k}-1]$ et $b^2\equiv a_1^2\equiv -9[2^{2^k}+1]$
So : $\exists b\in \mathbb{N}:b^2\equiv -9[2^{2^{k+1}}-1]$

Hence : $\exists a\in \mathbb{N}:2^n-1|a^2+9$ iff $n$ is a power of 2
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