It is well known that every positive integer is the sum of at most four perfect squares (including 1).
But which positive integers are not the sum of four non-zero perfect squares (1 is still allowed as a perfect square) ?
I showed that the numbers 2k , 2k⋅3 and 2k⋅7 with odd positive integer k have this property. I checked the numbers upto 104 and above 41, no examples , other than those of the mentioned forms , occured. So my question is whether additional positive integers with the desired property exist.
Answer
page 140 in Conway's little book,
1,3,5,9,11,17,29,41,2⋅4m,6⋅4m,14⋅4m.
The proof is on the same page, with preparatory material in the previous few pages.
The first detail: any number 3(mod8) is the sum of three squares, meanwhile they must be odd squares, therefore nonzero. The square of any number that is divisible by 4 becomes 0(mod8). As a result, any number 6(mod8) is the sum of three squares, as (2A)2+B2+C2, where A,B,C must be odd squares, therefore nonzero.
10 June: Second detail: if x2+y2+z2≡0(mod4), then x,y,z are all even. This means that 12(mod32) is the sum of three nonzero squares. Same for 24(mod32)
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