A very interesting
Diophantine equation problem was conjectured in 1913 by
Srinivasa Ramanujan and proved in 1948 by Trygve Nagell. The Ramanujan-Nagell theorem states that the only positive integer solutions of the equation
x 2 + 7 = 2 y
are (1,3), (3,4), (5,5), (11,7) and (181,15). It can be proved by using the uniqueness of factorization in the
ring of integers of the
quadratic field Q(
√-7).