Find all postive integer solutions to the equation x^y-y^x=x+y.
Leming and Jer found the same two solutions, with programming, but they gave no proof of existence of another one (or anothers).
My thought is :
x^y - y^x = x+ y
x^y - x = y^x + y
x^y - x = y^x - y + y + y
x [x^(y-1) - 1] = y[y^(x-1) - 1] + 2y
The two expressions between parentheses are, respectively, divisible by (x-1) and by (y-1).
So, [x^(y-1) - 1] = k1.(x-1) for some integer value of k1.
And [y^(x-1) - 1] = k2.(y-1) for some integer value of k2.
Then :
x.k1(x-1) = y.k2.(y-1) + 2y
Or :
k1.x^2 - k1.x - [k2.y(y-1) + 2y) = 0
This is an second degree equation in x, so it has ONLY TWO roots, that are those already found.
So, I think that there are no more solutions to be searched.
Am I wrong ?
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Posted by ARLEKIM
on 2005-03-06 13:35:26 |