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Re: Diophantine question.

Subject: Re: Diophantine question.
From:
Date: 30 Oct 2006 18:41:11 -0800
Newsgroups: sci.math
steiner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Hello, all!
>     It is known that Fermat solved the Diophantine equation x^4 + y ^4
> = z^2 over
> the integers and proved that it has no nontrivial solutions. He used
> the
> method of infinite descent.
> What can one say about the equation x^4 - y^4 = z^^2? Are there any
> nontrivial
> integer solutions? More generally, what is known about the equation
> x^p - y^p = z^2, where p is an odd prime?

If p = 3, x^p +/- y^p = z^2 has solutions

Solutions to x^3 +y^3 +z^3 -3xyz = w^2
are given by
 x = a^2 +2bc
y = b^2 +2ac
z = c^2 +2ab
c^2 +2ab =0 gives an infinite no solutions, but not all

I seem to remember  the name "Terquem" in relation
to "sums of  two equal powers = square", but
this may have been x^2p - y^2p = z^2.


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