Jeśmanowicz' conjecture for non-primitive Pythagorean triples (Q6155558): Difference between revisions

Jeśmanowicz' conjecture is the following: Let \((a,b,c)\) be a primitive Pythagorean triple; i.e. \(a,b\) are relatively prime positive integers and \(a^2+b^2=c^2\) holds. Let \(n\) be any positive integer. Then the only solution \((x,y,z)\) in positive integers \[ (na)^x + (nb)^y = (nc)^z \qquad\qquad (*)\] is \((x,y,z)=(2,2,2)\).\par The general shape of a primitive Pythagorean triple is \((a,b,c)=(u^2-v^2,2uv,u^2+v^2)\), where \(u,v\) are relatively prime, \(u>v>0\) and \(u,v\) have opposite parities. In the special case \(v=1\) we have \(u=2k\), so that \((a,b,c)=(4k^2-1,4k,4k^2+1)\). Since even in this case the conjecture remains open, the authors focus on the case when \(k=p^{\alpha}\), where \(p\equiv 3\pmod 4\) is a prime (and \(\alpha\) is a positive integer) and prove the following main result of the paper:\par \textit{If \(4p^{2\alpha-1}-1=a_1a_2\) with \(a_1,a_2>1\), \(\gcd(a_1,a_2)=1\) and \(a_2\not\equiv 9,25\pmod{48}\), then the only solution to \((*)\) when \((a,b,c)=(4p^{2\alpha}-1,4p^{\alpha}, 4p^{2\alpha}+1)\) is \((x,y,z)=(2,2,2)\).}\par The proof is partially based on existing results concerning the generalized Fermat equations \(x^n+y^n=2z^2\), \(x^4+y^3=z^4\) and \(x^5+y^5=2z ^3\); besides this, it is elementary but by no means simple. \par As a corollary to the main result, the same conclusion is also valid if either of the following conditions is satisfied: \par (i) \(m=0\) and \(1\le \alpha\le 100\);\; \par (ii) \(1\le m\le 10^4\) and \(1\le \alpha \le 5\); \; \par (iii) \(1\le m\le 10^7\) and \(\alpha=1\).