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By Fermat's Last Theorem, there are no solutions to the Diophantine equation $a^n + b^n = c^n$ for $a,b,c > 0$ and $n>2$. Beal's conjecture allows the exponents to be different (but also $>2$ ). Is the lack of solutions because there is not enough wiggle room? (Squares are too abundant, but what about cubes and so on?)

Let's call a positive integer N-power-min if the smallest exponent in its prime factorization is $N$. For $N=3$, I've downloaded a list of ABC Triples and the first solutions were:

$271^{3} + 2^{3} 3^{5} 73^{3} = 919^{3}$

and

$3^{4} 29^{3} 89^{3} + 7^{3} 11^{3} 167^{3} = 2^{7} 5^{4} 353^{3}$

Nothing with $N>3$ was found.

Does the ABC conjecture (or a related one) imply that for any $N > 2$ , we have a limited or no solutions $a+b=c$ with a,b,c N-power-min ?

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  • $\begingroup$ If the ABC conjecture is true, it implies every true fact and if it is not true, it implies every statement (true or false - does not matter). $\endgroup$
    – markvs
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 21:42
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    $\begingroup$ @MarkSapir Very amusing. But to answer the question, the $ABC$ conjecture implies that $x^m+y^n=z^\ell$ has no rational solutions with $|x|,|y|,|z|\ge2$ and $\gcd(x,y,z)=1$ provided $(m,n,\ell)$ satisfies some relatively simply inequality that I've worked out in the past, but don't recall the exact form. Anyway, it's a nice exercise to work it out. In algebraic geometry terms, the condition for finitely many solutions on $ax^n+by^m=cz^\ell$ that the curve in weighted projective space has genus at least 2. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 22:18
  • $\begingroup$ @JoeSilverman: ABC conjecture is an asymptotic statement depending on certain constant $\epsilon$, so it can only "imply" finiteness of the number of integer primitive solutions. $\endgroup$
    – markvs
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 22:56
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    $\begingroup$ @MarkSapir Good point. There are some proposed explicitly versions of ABC that in principal could imply no (non-trivial solutions), but the Masser-Oesterle version with $C_\epsilon$ depending on $\epsilon$ in some unspecified way will only yield finiteness. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 23:57

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If $a,b,c$ are $N$-power min then $\operatorname{rad}(abc) \leq (abc)^{1/N} \leq c^{ 3/N}$

and the $abc$ conjecture implies that $$c< K_\epsilon \operatorname{rad}(abc)^{1+\epsilon} \leq K_\epsilon c^{ (3/N)(1+ \epsilon)} $$ so $$ c< K_\epsilon^{ \frac{1}{ 1 - (3/N)(1+\epsilon)}}$$

But if $c$ is $N$-power-min then $c \geq 2^N$, so for $N$ sufficiently large depending on $\epsilon, K_\epsilon$, this inequality cannot be satisfied.

For $N$ sufficiently large depending on $\epsilon, K_\epsilon$, these inequalities cannot be satisfied.

So certainly the abc conjecture implies for some $N>2$, we have no solutions.

But, as stated, it doesn't imply (by any easy argument) that for every $N>2$ we have no solutions, nor does it even imply for any particular $N$ that there is no solution, since the exact value of $K_\epsilon$ is not given in the statement (as was explained by Mark Sapir in the comments).


There probably are infinitely many solutions for $N=3$, albeit very sparse ones. You just need to search for an elliptic curve of the form $a^4 x^3 + b^4 y^3 + c^4 z^3$ of positive rank, then find various $x,y,z$ solutions.

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  • $\begingroup$ In your last paragraph, to cover sll possibilities, one should really search for solutions to $a^4b^5x^3+c^4d^5y^3+e^4f^5z^3$. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 6:13
  • $\begingroup$ Aren't there infinitely many solutions to $a^4 x^3 + b^4 y^3=c^4 z^3$? This is homogeneous in $x,y,z$ and the group law gives infinitely many (X,Y,Z) for fixed a,b,c. $\endgroup$
    – joro
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 10:33
  • $\begingroup$ @YaakovBaruch Sure, I just thought $a,b,c$ was enough and didn't want to type all those letters. $\endgroup$
    – Will Sawin
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 12:31
  • $\begingroup$ @joro Indeed, there should be, as long as you check it's positive rank. $\endgroup$
    – Will Sawin
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 12:31

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