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Algebra Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Prove it Croatia

Find all complex numbers aa such that all coefficients of
P(x)=(xa)(xa2)(xa3)(xa4) P(x) = (x - a)(x - a^2)(x - a^3)(x - a^4)
are real numbers.

Solution

Obviously, all real numbers satisfy the given condition.
Let us, from now on, assume that aa is not a real number.
If zz is a root of PP, then zˉ\bar{z} is a root of PP as well. Hence aˉ=a2\bar{a} = a^2, aˉ=a3\bar{a} = a^3 or aˉ=a4\bar{a} = a^4.

In the first case, we get a=a2|a| = |a|^2, and then a=1|a| = 1 (since a0a \neq 0). Hence a3=a2a=aˉa=a2=1a^3 = a^2 \cdot a = \bar{a} \cdot a = |a|^2 = 1, so both factors (xa)(xa2)(x - a)(x - a^2) and xa3x - a^3 of PP have real coefficients. This implies that a4=a3a=aa^4 = a^3 \cdot a = a is a real number, which is a contradiction, and there is no solution in this case.

In the second case, we similarly get a4=1a^4 = 1, hence a=±ia = \pm i and both can be verified as solutions.

In the third case, we similarly get a5=1a^5 = 1, hence
a=cos2kπ5+isin2kπ5,k=1,2,3,4. a = \cos \frac{2k\pi}{5} + i \sin \frac{2k\pi}{5}, \quad k = 1, 2, 3, 4.
Since aˉ2=a5aˉ2=a3a2aˉ2=a3a4=a3\bar{a}^2 = a^5 \cdot \bar{a}^2 = a^3 \cdot a^2 \cdot \bar{a}^2 = a^3 \cdot |a|^4 = a^3, both factors (xa)(xa4)(x - a)(x - a^4) and (xa2)(xa3)(x - a^2)(x - a^3) of PP have real coefficients, so has PP.

a{i,i}{cos2kπ5+isin2kπ5k=1,2,3,4}, a \in \{i, -i\} \cup \left\{ \cos \frac{2k\pi}{5} + i \sin \frac{2k\pi}{5} \mid k = 1, 2, 3, 4 \right\},
along with all real numbers.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.