Can Anyone Help Crack the Nut on Solving (m,n) Pairs for this Equality?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around finding pairs of nonnegative integers, $(m,n)$, that satisfy the equation \((m-n)^2(n^2-m) = 4m^2n\). Participants explore various approaches and ideas to solve this problem, which involves mathematical reasoning and exploration of potential solutions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in finding any pairs that satisfy the equation and suggests that the set of solutions may be empty.
  • Another participant proposes examining the equation modulo 2 to limit the cases to check, although they later express doubt about its effectiveness.
  • A different participant notes that both integers cannot be odd, as this leads to a contradiction regarding divisibility, suggesting that both must be even.
  • One participant tests specific cases, such as \(m=2n\) and \(m=3n\), leading to potential solutions of \((36,18)\) and \((36,12)\), respectively.
  • Another participant acknowledges the cleverness of the approach and its generalization.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the existence of solutions, with some suggesting specific pairs while others remain skeptical about the overall possibility of solutions.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note limitations in their approaches, such as the need for further exploration of cases and the unresolved nature of the problem regarding the existence of solutions.

lfdahl
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Find the pairs of nonnegative integers, $(m,n)$, which obey the equality:

\[(m-n)^2(n^2-m) = 4m^2n\]

So far, I haven´t found a single pair, but I cannot prove, that the set of solutions is empty.
Perhaps, someone can help me to crack this nut?
 
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lfdahl said:
Find the pairs of nonnegative integers, $(m,n)$, which obey the equality:

\[(m-n)^2(n^2-m) = 4m^2n\]

So far, I haven´t found a single pair, but I cannot prove, that the set of solutions is empty.
Perhaps, someone can help me to crack this nut?
My suggestion is to take the whole thing a modulo 2 so you would have only a limited number of cases to check.

-Dan
 
Ah well. It was a nice idea, but it doesn't actually help a whole lot. Good luck with it and if I get any other wild ideas I'll let you know. :)

-Dan
 
lfdahl said:
Find the pairs of nonnegative integers, $(m,n)$, which obey the equality:

\[(m-n)^2(n^2-m) = 4m^2n\]
Not a solution but some elimination

So far, I haven´t found a single pair, but I cannot prove, that the set of solutions is empty.
Perhaps, someone can help me to crack this nut?

first neither can be odd
because if both are odd LHs is divisible by 8 being product of 3 even numbers and RHS is not

if one is odd then LHS is odd and RHS even.

thus both are even
you can have this as a starting point
 
lfdahl said:
Find the pairs of nonnegative integers, $(m,n)$, which obey the equality:

\[(m-n)^2(n^2-m) = 4m^2n\]

So far, I haven´t found a single pair, but I cannot prove, that the set of solutions is empty.
Perhaps, someone can help me to crack this nut?
Try for a solution with $m=2n$: $$(2n-n)^2(n^2-2n) = 16n^3,$$ $$n^3(n-2) = 16n^3,$$ $$ n-2 = 16,$$ $$ n=18.$$ That gives the solution $(m,n) = (36,18).$

Edit. You can also try $m=3n$, which leads to the solution $(36,12).$
 
Last edited:
Clever Opalg! That generalizes nicely. (Bow)

-Dan
 
Thankyou so much, Opalg, kaliprasad for your help to "crack the nut".
Thankyou, topsquark for nice and helpful comments.
 

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