Sunday, November 29, 2015

number theory - Classification of the positive integers not being the sum of four non-zero squares



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 , 2k3 and 2k7 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,
1,3,5,9,11,17,29,41,24m,64m,144m.


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+z20(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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