FermatCatalan conjecture

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In number theory, the FermatCatalan conjecture combines ideas of Fermat's last theorem and the Catalan conjecture, hence the name. The conjecture
states that the equation

(1)

has only nitely many solutions (a,b,c,m,n,k) with distinct triplets of values (am, bn, ck); here a, b, c are positive coprime integers and m, n, k are positive
integers satisfying

This inequality restriction on the exponents has the effect of precluding consideration of the known innitude of solutions of (1) in which two of the
exponents are 2 (such as Pythagorean triples).
As of 2015, the following ten solutions to (1) are known:[1]

(2)

The rst of these (1m+23=32) is the only solution where one of a, b or c is 1, according to the Catalan conjecture, proven in 2002 by Preda Mihilescu.
While this case leads to innitely many solutions of (1) (since we can pick any m for m>6), these solutions only give a single triplet of values (am, bn,
ck).
It is known by the DarmonGranville theorem, which uses Faltings' theorem, that for any xed choice of positive integers m, n and k satisfying (2), only
nitely many coprime triples (a,b,c) solving (1) exist;[2][3]:p. 64 but the full FermatCatalan conjecture is a much stronger statement since it allows for
an innitude of sets of exponents m, n and k.
The abc conjecture implies the FermatCatalan conjecture.[1]
Beal's conjecture is true if and only if all Fermat-Catalan solutions use 2 as an exponent for some variable.

See also
Sums of powers, a list of related conjectures and theorems

References
1. Pomerance, Carl (2008), "Computational Number Theory", in Gowers, Timothy; Barrow-Green, June; Leader, Imre, The Princeton Companion to Mathematics,
Princeton University Press, pp.361362, ISBN978-0-691-11880-2.
2. Darmon, H.; Granville, A. (1995). "On the equations zm = F(x, y) and Axp + Byq = Czr". Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society 27: 51343.
3. Elkies, Noam D. (2007). "The ABC's of Number Theory" (PDF). The Harvard College Mathematics Review 1 (1).

Links
[1] (http://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~michel.waldschmidt/articles/pdf/PerfectPowers.pdf)
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Categories: Conjectures Diophantine equations

This page was last modied on 9 March 2016, at 15:41.

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