On sums of positive rationals with given products (Q2167815)

Given positive integers \(a_1, \ldots, a_s, N\), the question is whether the pair of equations \[ a_1 q_1 + \cdots + a_s q_s = N, \quad q_1 \cdots q_s = 1 \] is soluble over the positive rationals. The system can be rewritten as a single diophantine equation of degree \(s\) in \(s\) positive integers so, on probabilistic grounds, a fully satisfactory classification appears far out of reach. In a series of recent articles, the author has been developing a method to demonstrate insolubility in certain classes of situations where \(s=4\). The following result builds on this. Let \(d\) and \(n\) be positive integers with \(d\) odd. Assume that \(n\) is even, or that \(dn^2\) has the form \(4^{m+1} (8u-1) + 1\), where \(m\) and \(u\) are positive integers. Let \(q_1, \ldots, q_4\) be positive rationals such that \(q_1 \cdots q_4 = 1\). Then \[ q_1 + q_2 + d(q_3 + q_4) \ne 4nd. \]