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SQUARE FIBONACCI NUMBERS, ETC.

JOHNH.E.COHN
Bedford College, University of London, London, N . W . I .

INTRODUCTION
An old conjecture about Fibonacci n u m b e r s is that 0, 1 and 144
a r e the only p e r f e c t s q u a r e s . Recently t h e r e a p p e a r e d a r e p o r t that
computation had r e v e a l e d that among the f i r s t million n u m b e r s in the
sequence t h e r e a r e no further s q u a r e s [ 1 ] . This is not s u r p r i s i n g ,
a s I have m a n a g e d to p r o v e the t r u t h of the conjecture, and this s h o r t
note is w r i t t e n by invitation of the e d i t o r s to r e p o r t m y proof. The
o r i g i n a l proof will a p p e a r s h o r t l y in [ Z ] and the r e a d e r is referred
t h e r e for d e t a i l s . However, the proof given t h e r e is fairly long, and
although the s a m e method gives s i m i l a r r e s u l t s for the Lucas n u m -
b e r s , I have r e c e n t l y d i s c o v e r e d a r a t h e r n e a t e r method, which s t a r t s
with the Lucas n u m b e r s , and it is of this method that an account a p -
p e a r s below. It is hoped that the full proof t o g e t h e r with its c o n s e -
q u e n c e s for Diophantine equations will a p p e a r l a t e r this y e a r . I might
add that the s a m e method s e e m s to w o r k for m o r e g e n e r a l s e q u e n c e s
2 4
of i n t e g e r s , thus enabling equations like y = Dx + 1 to be c o m -
pletely solved at l east for c e r t a i n values of D. Of c o u r s e the F i b -
onacci c a s e is s i m p l y D = 5.

PRELIMINARIES
In the f i r s t p l a c e , in a c c o r d a n c e with the p r a c t i c e of the F i b -
onacci Q u a r t e r l y , I h e r e u s e the s y m b o l s F and L to denote the
n-th. F i b o n a c c i and Lucas n u m b e r r e s p e c t i v e l y ; in o t h s r p a p e r s I
u s e the m o r e widely accepted, if l e s s logical, notation u and v
[3]. Throughout the following n, m, k will denote i n t e g e r s , not
n e c e s s a r i l y positive, and r will denote a n o n - n e g a t i v e i n t e g e r . Also,
w h e r e v e r it o c c u r s , k will denote an even i n t e g e r , not divisible by 3.
We shall then r e q u i r e the following formulae, all of which a r e
elementary

(1) 2F , = F L + F L
x
' m+n m—n - n ~ - m
109
HO SQUARE FIBONACCI NUMBERS, E T C . April

(2) 2 L , = 5 F F + L L
m+n m n m n

(3) L0 ' = L2 + (-I)™"1 2


v
2m m
(4) (F- , L. ) = 2

(5) ( F , L ) = 1 if 3>n

(6) 2 L if a n d o n l y if 3 m
1
m . J '
(7) 3 L if a n d o n l y if m = 2 ( m o d 4)
J
' m \ t

(8) F_n=(~-Dn-1Fn

(9) L = (-l)nL
v v
' -n n
(10) Lk=3.(mod4) if 2'|k, 3 ^

(11) L , = - L ( m o d L. )
V. ' m + 20k1 " " . . m . k

< 12 > F
a+2k= - F
m ^ ° d L
k>

L L
(13) m + 1 2 ^ m ^m°d8)

THE MAIN T H E O R E M S
T h e o r e m 1.
If L = x then n = 1 or 3.
n *
Proof.
If n i s e v e n , (3) g i v e s

L = y2 ± 2 / x2 .
7
n

If 115 1 ( m o d 4 ) , t h e n L , =• 1, w h e r e a s if n & 1 w e c a n w r i t e n = 1 +
r
2* 3 # k w h e r e k h a s t h e r e q u i r e d p r o p e r t i e s , a n d t h e n o b t a i n b y (11)

L =. - Li = - 1 ( m o d L, )

2
and so Ln^x^ since - l i s a n o n - r e s i d u e of L^. by ( 1 0 ) . Finally,
1964 SQUARE FIBONACCI NUMBERS, E T C . Ill
-?
if 113 3 (mod 4) then n = 3 gives L, = 2 , w h e r e a s if n / 3, we
w r i t e a s before n = 3 + 2*3 -k and obtain

L n =. -o L = - 4 (mod Lj-^)

and again
& L / x .
n
This concludes the proof of T h e o r e m 3.

T h e o r e m 2.
2
If L = 2x , then n = 0 or ±6.
n
Proof.
If n is odd and L is even, then by (6) n = ± 3 (mod 12) and
so, using (13) and (9),.

L = 4 (mod 8)
n

and so L ^ 2x .
n
Secondly, if n = 0 (mod 4), then n = 0 gives L = 2, w h e r e a s
r
if n ^ O , n = 2 * 3 »k and so

2L = - 2L = ~ 4 (mod L, )
n 0 k'
2 2
whence 2L / y •, i . e . L ^ 2x
n n
2
Thirdly, if n = 6 (mod 8) then n = 6 gives L, -• 2 • 3 whereas
if n / 6 , n = 6 4- 2*3 ' k w h e r e now 41 k, 3/fk and so

2L = - 2Lx = - 36 (mod L, )
n o k

and again, - 36 is a n o n - r e s i d u e of L, using (7) and (10). Thus


/
a s before L ^ 2x".
n
Finally, if n =. 2 (mod 8), then by (9) L = L w h e r e now
- n E 6 (mod 8) and so the only a d m i s s i b l e value is -n = 6, i. e, 11= - 6 .
This concludes the proof of T h e o r e m 2,
112 SQUARE FIBONACCI NUMBERS, ETC. April

Theorem 3.
If F = x 2 , then n = 0,\±1, 2 or 12.
Proof.
If n = 1 (mod 4), then n. = 1 gives F, = 1, whereas if n / 1,
r
n = 1 + 2e 3 • k and so

F = - F, = - 1 (mod L, )
n 1 k'

whence F
/• x . If n = 3 (mod 4), then by (8) F = F and -n = 1
J
n " -n n
(mod 4) and as before we get only n = - 1 . If n is even, then by (1)
2
F = F L, and so, using (4) and (5) we obtain, if F =• x
n
n i/2n i/2n 2 2
either 3 In, F , = 2y , L = 2z . By Theorem 2, the lat-
y y
' y2n i/2n
ter is possible only for i/2n ='0, 6 or - 6 . The first two values also
satisfy the former, while the last must be rejected since it does not.
or 3iri, F , = y , L = z . By Theorem 1, the latter
' Vi* V2n
is possible only for i/2n = 1 or 3, and again the second value must
be rejected.
This concludes the proof of Theorem 3.

Theorem 4.
If F = 2x Z , then n = 0, ±3 or 6.
n
Proof.
If n = 3 (mod 4), then n = 3 gives F~ = 2, whereas if n ^ 3,
n = 3 + 2" 3 * k and so

2F = - 2 F a = -4 (mod L, )
n 3 k

and so F 4 2x . If n = 1 (mod 4) then as before F = F and we


n -n n
get
B only
y n = -3. If n is even, then since F = F, L we
z n i/2n y2n
must have if F. = 2x
/2n
2 2
either F L, = y ,
= 2z ; then by Theorems 2 and 3 we
i/2n i/2n
see that the only value which satisfies both of these is y2n - 0
2 2
or F = 2y , L = z ; then by Theorem 1, the second
J 3
i/2n i/2n '
of these is satisfied only for' i/2n = 1 or 3. But the former of these
does not satisfy the first equation.
1964 SQUARE FIBONACCI NUMBERS, E T C . 1.13

This concludes the proof of the t h e o r e m .

REFERENCES
1. M. Wunderlich, On the n o n - e x i s t e n c e of Fibonacci S q u a r e s ,
Maths, of Computation, 1_7 (1963) p. 455.
2. J. H. E, Cohn, On Square Fibonacci N u m b e r s , Proc. Lond.
M a t h s . Soc. 3^9 (1964) to a p p e a r .
3. G. H. H a r d y and E. M. Wright, Introduction to Theory of Num-
b e r s , 3rd. Edition, O. U. P . 1954, p. 148 et seq.
XXXXXXXXXXXK< KXXXXXX
I
/

EDITORIAL NOTE
B r o t h e r U. Alfred cheerfully acknowledges the p r i o r i t y of the
e s s e n t i a l method, u s e d in " L u c a s S q u a r e s " in the last i s s u e of the
Fibonacci Quarterly Journal, r e s t solely with J. H. E. Cohn. This
was w r i t t e n at the r e q u e s t of the Editor and the unintentional o m i s s i o n
of due c r e d i t r e s t solely with the E d i t o r .

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