A Stothers–Mason theorem with a difference radical

Abstract

AbstractDifferential calculus is not a unique way to observe polynomial equations such as $$a+b=c$$ a + b = c . We propose a way of applying difference calculus to estimate multiplicities of the roots of the polynomials a, b and c satisfying the equation above. Then a difference abc theorem for polynomials is proved using a new notion of a radical of a polynomial. Results, for example, on the non-existence of polynomial solutions to difference Fermat and difference Super-Fermat functional equations are given as applications. We also introduce a truncated second main theorem for differences, and use it to consider these functional equations with non-polynomial entire solutions. Equations with polynomial or non-polynomial solutions are observed to see the sharpness of results obtained.