Two is not a congruent number

ID: two-is-not-a-congruent-number

A primitive Pythagorean triple of area twice a square would satisfy . Pairwise coprimality makes the odd factors squares and the even factor twice a square. The possibility even is excluded modulo eight. Thus . The coprime integers have , hence are themselves squares, and contradicts fourth-power sum cannot be a square. Clearing denominators gives the assertion for rational triangles.

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