Solution:
The answer is (D). Let us first note that if p(x) has degree d, then p(x+1)−p(x) has degree exactly d−1. For simplicity we denote generically by ⋆ a sum of terms of degree less than d−1. Setting p(x)=axd+bxd+1+⋆, we have
p(x+1)−p(x)=a(x+1)d−axd+b(x+1)d−1−bxd−1+⋆=(axd+adxd−1+⋆)−axd+(bxd−1+⋆)−bxd−1+t=adxd−1+⋆.
Thus p(x+1)−p(x) has degree exactly d−1. Now, let us denote r(x):=p(x+1)−p(x) and s(x):=r(x+1)−r(x); we have
s(x)s(x)−s(x−1)=(p(x+2)−p(x+1))−(p(x+1)−p(x))=p(x+2)−2p(x+1)+p(x),=(p(x+2)−2p(x+1)+p(x))−(p(x+1)−2p(x)+p(x−1))=p(x+2)−3p(x+1)+3p(x)−p(x−1).
Applying the result proved above several times, we then have that the degree of r(x) is 2010−1=2009, the degree of s(x) is 2008, the degree of s(x)−s(x−1) is 2007 (to obtain this last one we must set y:=x−1 and apply the result to s(y+1)−s(y)).
Second Solution
For every positive integer i, define the polynomial
(ix)=i!x⋅(x−1)⋯(x−i+1)
Set (0x)=1 and (ix)=0 for every integer i<0. The facts I need about these polynomials are two:
the first is that, for positive i, (ix) has degree i, and, in particular, the coefficient of xi in (ix) is i!1 (it suffices to observe that the coefficient of x in each of the i degree-one factors making up the numerator is 1)
the second is the equation (i+1x+1)−(i+1x)=(ix), which holds for every integer i: for positive values of i we indeed have
(i+1x+1)−(i+1x)=(i+1)!(x+1)⋅x⋯(x−i+1)−(i+1)!x⋯(x−i+1)⋅(x−i)=i+1x+1(ix)−i+1x−i(ix)=(ix)
for i=0 the equation reduces to x+1−x=1, and for i<0 it is an immediate consequence of the definition.
Applying this second fact, I obtain
(ix−1)−3(ix)+3(ix+1)−(ix+2)==−((ix)−(ix−1))+2((ix+1)−(ix))−((ix+2)−(ix+1))=−(i−1x)+2(i−1x+1)−(i−1x+2)=((i−1x+1)−(i−1x))−((i−1x+2)−(i−1x+1))=(i−2x+1)−(i−2x+2)=−(i−3x+2)
where in the first and third steps I simply reordered the sum.
Consider now a polynomial p(x) of degree d. I claim that it can be written in the form
p(x)=ad(dx)+⋯+a1(1x)+a0
for a suitable choice of real numbers a0,…,ad. Indeed, calling k the leading coefficient of p(x) and setting ad=kd!, we obtain that p(x)−ad(dx) has degree less than d, since the degree-d monomials cancel. Repeating the procedure on this new polynomial we obtain an ad−1 such that the degree of p(x)−ad(dx)−ad−1(d−1x) is less than d−1. Continuing to lower the degree of the polynomial we arrive at the point where p(x)−ad(dx)−ad−1(d−1x)−⋯−a1(1x) has degree 0, that is, it is a constant, and we set a0 equal to that constant.
Now it is easy to compute the polynomial required by the problem, by collecting the coefficients ai
p(x−1)−3p(x)+3p(x+1)−p(x+2)==ad((dx−1)−3(dx)+3(dx+1)−(dx+2))+⋯=−ad(d−3x+2)−ad−1(d−4x+2)−⋯−a3
and this is a polynomial of degree d−3, since the degree of (d−3x+2), like that of (d−3x), is d−3, while the degree of the other terms is less. The correct answer is therefore 2007.