Journal of Integer Sequences, Vol. 26 (2023), Article 23.7.8

On the Ternary Purely Exponential Diophantine Equation (ak)x + (bk)y = ((a + b)k)z for Prime Powers a and b


Maohua Le
Institute of Mathematics
Lingnan Normal College
Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524048
China

Gökhan Soydan
Department of Mathematics
Bursa Uludağ University
16059 Bursa
Türkiye

Abstract:

Let k be a positive integer, and let a, b be coprime positive integers with a, b > 1. In this paper, using a combination of some elementary number theory techniques with classical results on the Nagell-Ljunggren equation, the Catalan equation, and some new properties of the Lucas sequence, we prove that if k > 1 and a, b > 2 are both prime powers, then the equation (ak)x + (bk)y = ((a + b)k)z has only one positive integer solution: namely, (x, y, z) = (1, 1, 1). This proves some cases of a conjecture of Yuan and Han.


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(Concerned with sequence A000204.)


Received April 25 2023; revised versions received April 28 2023; August 15 2023; August 18 2023. Published in Journal of Integer Sequences, August 22 2023.


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