It appears from a computer exploration that (2,2) is the only solution.
Beginnings of a proof:
Consider n^5 + n^4 + 1 = 7^m
The LHS can be factored:
(n^2 + n + 1) * (n^3 - n + 1 ) = 7^m
Whenever n is 2 mod 7, both polynomials on the left are 0 mod 7, meaning they are multiples of 7. But I have not found a way to prove that n=2 is the only value that makes each polynomial a power of 7.
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import math
for n in range(1,10000):
lhs = n**5 + n**4
m_precis = math.log(lhs,7)
m1 = int(m_precis)
m2 = m1 + 1
rhs1 = 7**m1 - 1
rhs2 = 7**m2 - 1
if lhs == rhs1:
print(n,m1)
if lhs == rhs2:
print(n,m2)
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Posted by Larry
on 2023-08-27 12:08:37 |