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Algebra Difficulty 7.6 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Romania

Given a polynomial f(x)f(x) with rational coefficients, of degree d2d \ge 2, we define the sequence of sets f0(Q),f1(Q),f^0(\mathbb{Q}), f^1(\mathbb{Q}), \dots, by f0(Q)=Qf^0(\mathbb{Q}) = \mathbb{Q} and then fn+1(Q)=f(fn(Q))f^{n+1}(\mathbb{Q}) = f(f^n(\mathbb{Q})) for n0n \ge 0.
(Given a set SS, we write f(S)f(S) for the set {f(x)xS}\{f(x) \mid x \in S\}.)
Let fω(Q)=n=0fn(Q)f^\omega(\mathbb{Q}) = \bigcap_{n=0}^\infty f^n(\mathbb{Q}) be the set of numbers that are in all of the sets fn(Q)f^n(\mathbb{Q}). Prove that fω(Q)f^\omega(\mathbb{Q}) is a finite set.
(Romania) Dan Schwarz

Solution

For any function ff, denote its nn-th iterate fnf^n. Take d=degf2d = \deg f \ge 2. One can write f(x)=1N(axd+g(x))f(x) = \frac{1}{N}(a x^d + g(x)) for some NZ+N \in \mathbb{Z}_+^*, aZa \in \mathbb{Z}^*, and some gZ[x]g \in \mathbb{Z}[x], with deggd1\deg g \le d-1, g(x)=i=0d1aixig(x) = \sum_{i=0}^{d-1} a_i x^i, aiZa_i \in \mathbb{Z}, for all 0id10 \le i \le d-1.
Finally, fω(Q)fn(Q)fn1(Q)Qf^\omega(\mathbb{Q}) \subset f^n(\mathbb{Q}) \subset f^{n-1}(\mathbb{Q}) \subseteq \mathbb{Q}, for n1n \ge 1.
For any xQx \in \mathbb{Q}, one can uniquely write x=μ(x)ν(x)x = \frac{\mu(x)}{\nu(x)}, with μ(x),ν(x)Z\mu(x), \nu(x) \in \mathbb{Z}, and ν(x)>0\nu(x) > 0, gcd(μ(x),ν(x))=1\gcd(\mu(x), \nu(x)) = 1. Take now M=i=0d1ai+2Na+1M = \frac{\sum_{i=0}^{d-1} |a_i| + 2N}{|a|} + 1, and
M:={xQ;x>M},F:={xQ;ν(x)>a2}. \mathcal{M} := \{x \in \mathbb{Q} ; |x| > M\}, \quad \mathcal{F} := \{x \in \mathbb{Q} ; \nu(x) > a^2\}.
Now, (QF)(QM)(\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{F}) \cap (\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{M}) is obviously finite; take m\mathfrak{m} to be its cardinality.
For xMx \in \mathcal{M} one has f(x)x+1>M|f(x)| \ge |x| + 1 > M (see LEMMA 1), hence f(x)Mf(x) \in \mathcal{M}. Then fn(x)x+n|f^n(x)| \ge |x| + n. For xFx \in \mathcal{F} one has ν(f(x))ν(x)+1>a2\nu(f(x)) \ge \nu(x) + 1 > a^2 (see LEMMA 2), hence f(x)Ff(x) \in \mathcal{F}. Then ν(fn(x))ν(x)+n\nu(f^n(x)) \ge \nu(x) + n.
Take xfω(Q)x \in f^\omega(\mathbb{Q}), and take nn large enough. Then we will have xfn(Q)x \in f^n(\mathbb{Q}), hence there will exist xnQx_n \in \mathbb{Q} such that fn(xn)=xf^n(x_n) = x. If fk(xn)Mf^k(x_n) \in \mathcal{M} for nk>xn-k > |x|, then x=fn(xn)=fnk(fk(xn))fk(xn)+(nk)>x|x| = |f^n(x_n)| = |f^{n-k}(f^k(x_n))| \ge |f^k(x_n)| + (n-k) > |x|, absurd. If fk(xn)Ff^k(x_n) \in \mathcal{F} for nk>ν(x)n-k > \nu(x), then ν(x)=ν(fn(xn))=ν(fnk(fk(xn)))ν(fk(xn))+(nk)>ν(x)\nu(x) = \nu(f^n(x_n)) = \nu(f^{n-k}(f^k(x_n))) \ge \nu(f^k(x_n)) + (n-k) > \nu(x), absurd.
Take nn large enough so that n>m+max{x,ν(x)}n > \mathfrak{m} + \max\{|x|, \nu(x)\}.
One then has fk(xn)(QF)(QM)f^k(x_n) \in (\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{F}) \cap (\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{M}), for 0km0 \le k \le \mathfrak{m}, therefore there will exist 0i<jm0 \le i < j \le \mathfrak{m} such that fi(xn)=fj(xn)f^i(x_n) = f^j(x_n), therefore fn(xn)=fk(xn)f^n(x_n) = f^k(x_n) for some ikji \le k \le j, hence x=fn(xn)=fk(xn)(QF)(QM)x = f^n(x_n) = f^k(x_n) \in (\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{F}) \cap (\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{M}).
This implies fω(Q)(QF)(QM)f^\omega(\mathbb{Q}) \subseteq (\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{F}) \cap (\mathbb{Q} \setminus \mathcal{M}), thus a finite set.

LEMMA 1. For xMx \in \mathcal{M} one has f(x)x+1>M|f(x)| \ge |x| + 1 > M.
Proof. Clearly then x>M>1|x| > M > 1. Now axdN>i=0d1aixd1N+xd+xd>i=0d1aixiN+x+1g(x)N+x+1\frac{|a||x|^d}{N} > \frac{\sum_{i=0}^{d-1} |a_i||x|^{d-1}}{N} + |x|^d + |x|^d > \frac{\sum_{i=0}^{d-1} |a_i||x|^i}{N} + |x| + 1 \ge \frac{|g(x)|}{N} + |x| + 1. It follows that f(x)=axd+g(x)N(axdNg(x)N)>x+1>M|f(x)| = \left| \frac{a x^d + g(x)}{N} \right| \ge \left( \frac{|a||x|^d}{N} - \frac{|g(x)|}{N} \right) > |x| + 1 > M. \square

LEMMA 2. For xFx \in \mathcal{F} one has ν(f(x))ν(x)+1>a2\nu(f(x)) \ge \nu(x) + 1 > a^2.
Proof. For xFx \in \mathcal{F} one can write f(x)=1Nν(x)d(aμ(x)d+ν(x)z)=μ(f(x))ν(f(x))f(x) = \frac{1}{N \nu(x)^d}(a \mu(x)^d + \nu(x) z) = \frac{\mu(f(x))}{\nu(f(x))}, with z=ν(x)d1g(x)Zz = \nu(x)^{d-1} g(x) \in \mathbb{Z}. Now, for e=gcd(ν(x),a)e = \gcd(\nu(x), a), one has ν(x)=er\nu(x) = e r, a=eba = e b, with gcd(r,b)=1\gcd(r, b) = 1.
Then it follows that δ=gcd(aμ(x)d+ν(x)z,Nν(x)d)Ngcd(eμ(x)d+erz,edrd)=Negcd(bμ(x)d+rz,ed1rd)=Negcd(bμ(x)d+rz,ed1)\delta = \gcd(a \mu(x)^d + \nu(x) z, N \nu(x)^d) \le N \cdot \gcd(e \mu(x)^d + e r z, e^d r^d) = N e \cdot \gcd(b \mu(x)^d + r z, e^{d-1} r^d) = N e \cdot \gcd(b \mu(x)^d + r z, e^{d-1}), since from previous relations gcd(bμ(x),r)=1\gcd(b \mu(x), r) = 1. Lastly δNegcd(bμ(x)d+rz,ed1)Need1=NedNad\delta \le N e \cdot \gcd(b \mu(x)^d + r z, e^{d-1}) \le N e e^{d-1} = N e^d \le N |a|^d.
Therefore ν(f(x))=Nν(x)dδNν(x)dNad>ν(x)\nu(f(x)) = \frac{N \nu(x)^d}{\delta} \ge \frac{N \nu(x)^d}{N |a|^d} > \nu(x), since ν(x)>a2add1\nu(x) > a^2 \ge |a|^{\frac{d}{d-1}}. It follows that ν(f(x))ν(x)+1>a2\nu(f(x)) \ge \nu(x) + 1 > a^2. \square

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