Triangular numbers with a single repeated digit
For every positive integer \(k\), let \(T_k:=\frac{k(k+1)}{2}\) denote the \(k\)-th triangular number. \textit{D. W. Ballew} and \textit{R. C. Weger} [J. Recreat. Math. 8, 96--98 (1976; Zbl 0327.10014)] proved the following result: The only triangular numbers whose decimal representations consist of a single repeated digit are \(1, 3, 6, 55, 66\), and \(666\). However, their proof was flawed. The error in Ballew and Weger's proof was identified in a discussion in MathOverflow, and a proof using the methods of elliptic curves was presented. In this paper, the authors provide an elementary proof using only Pell equations.
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