Online Course Discussion Forum
MCIII Number Theory 3.18
Hello,
This is what I did for this problem:
Why does only k=0, 1, 2 work, but why?
Thanks,
Tina Jin
For each $m$ as the value of $\lfloor\sqrt{n}\rfloor$, $k=0,1,2$ represent the numbers $m^2$, $m^2+m$, and $m^2+2m$. The next value, $m^2+3m$, is already greater than $(m+1)^2$, and if $n=m^2+3m$, $\lfloor\sqrt{n}\rfloor$ is greater than $m$, so it is no longer a solution for $\lfloor\sqrt{n}\rfloor = m$.
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