Ramanujan–Nagell equation

In

and solutions in natural numbers n and x exist just when n = 3, 4, 5, 7 and 15 (sequence A060728 in the OEIS).

This was conjectured in 1913 by Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, proposed independently in 1943 by the Norwegian mathematician Wilhelm Ljunggren, and proved in 1948 by the Norwegian mathematician Trygve Nagell. The values of n correspond to the values of x as:-

x = 1, 3, 5, 11 and 181 (sequence A038198 in the OEIS).^[1]

Triangular Mersenne numbers

The problem of finding all numbers of the form 2^b − 1 (

for x = 1, 3, 5, 11 and 181, giving 0, 1, 3, 15, 4095 and no more (sequence A076046 in the OEIS).

Equations of Ramanujan–Nagell type

An equation of the form

${\displaystyle x^{2}+D=AB^{n}}$

for fixed D, A, B and variable x, n is said to be of Ramanujan–Nagell type. The result of Siegel^[2] implies that the number of solutions in each case is finite.^[3] By representing ${\displaystyle n=3m+r}$ with ${\displaystyle r\in \{0,1,2\}}$ and ${\displaystyle B^{n}=B^{r}y^{3}}$ with ${\displaystyle y=B^{m}}$, the equation of Ramanujan–Nagell type is reduced to three Mordell curves (indexed by ${\displaystyle r}$), each of which has a finite number of integer solutions:

${\displaystyle r=0:\qquad (Ax)^{2}=(Ay)^{3}-A^{2}D}$,

${\displaystyle r=1:\qquad (ABx)^{2}=(ABy)^{3}-A^{2}B^{2}D}$,

${\displaystyle r=2:\qquad (AB^{2}x)^{2}=(AB^{2}y)^{3}-A^{2}B^{4}D}$.

The equation with ${\displaystyle A=1,\ B=2}$ has at most two solutions, except in the case ${\displaystyle D=7}$ corresponding to the Ramanujan–Nagell equation. There are infinitely many values of D for which there are two solutions, including ${\displaystyle D=2^{m}-1}$.^[1]

Equations of Lebesgue–Nagell type

An equation of the form

${\displaystyle x^{2}+D=Ay^{n}}$

for fixed D, A and variable x, y, n is said to be of Lebesgue–Nagell type. This is named after Victor-Amédée Lebesgue, who proved that the equation

${\displaystyle x^{2}+1=y^{n}}$

has no nontrivial solutions.^[4]

Results of Shorey and Tijdeman^[5] imply that the number of solutions in each case is finite.^[6] Bugeaud, Mignotte and Siksek^[7] solved equations of this type with A = 1 and 1 ≤ D ≤ 100. In particular, the following generalization of the Ramanujan–Nagell equation:

${\displaystyle y^{n}-7=x^{2}\,}$

has positive integer solutions only when x = 1, 3, 5, 11, or 181.

See also

• Pillai's conjecture
• Scientific equations named after people

Notes

References

• Bugeaud, Y.; Mignotte, M.; Siksek, S. (2006). "Classical and modular approaches to exponential Diophantine equations II. The Lebesgue–Nagell equation". Compositio Mathematica. 142: 31–62.
  S2CID 18534268
  .
• Lebesgue (1850). "Sur l'impossibilité, en nombres entiers, de l'équation x^m = y² + 1". Nouv. Ann. Math. Série 1. 9: 178–181.
• Ljunggren, W. (1943). "Oppgave nr 2". Norsk Mat. Tidsskr. 25: 29.
• Nagell, T. (1948). "Løsning till oppgave nr 2". Norsk Mat. Tidsskr. 30: 62–64.
• doi:10.1007/BF02592006
  .
• Ramanujan, S. (1913). "Question 464". J. Indian Math. Soc. 5: 130.
• Saradha, N.; Srinivasan, Anitha (2008). "Generalized Lebesgue–Ramanujan–Nagell equations". In Saradha, N. (ed.). Diophantine Equations. Narosa. pp. 207–223.
  ISBN 978-81-7319-898-4
  .
• Shorey, T. N.;
  Zbl 0606.10011
  .
• Siegel, C. L. (1929). "Uber einige Anwendungen Diophantischer Approximationen". Abh. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Phys. Math. Kl. 1: 41–69.

External links

• "Values of X corresponding to N in the Ramanujan–Nagell Equation". Wolfram MathWorld. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
• Can N² + N + 2 Be A Power Of 2?, Math Forum discussion