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Algebra Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Prove it Saudi Arabia

Find all pairs of polynomials P(x),Q(x)P(x), Q(x) with integer coefficients such that
P(Q(x))=(x1)(x2)(x9) P(Q(x)) = (x-1)(x-2) \ldots (x-9)
for all real numbers xx.

Solution

We consider 3 cases.

1) Suppose that degQ=1\deg Q = 1. By looking at the leading coefficient, we have Q(x)=±x+aQ(x) = \pm x + a. If Q(x)=x+aQ(x) = x + a, we have
P(x)=(x(a+1))(x(a+2))(x(a+9)). P(x) = (x - (a+1))(x - (a+2)) \ldots (x - (a+9)).
And if Q(x)=x+aQ(x) = -x + a we have
P(x)=(a1x)(a2x)(a9x). P(x) = (a-1-x)(a-2-x) \ldots (a-9-x).

2) Suppose that degP=1\deg P = 1. By looking at the leading coefficient, we have P(x)=±x+aP(x) = \pm x + a. In this case
Q(x)=±(x1)(x2)(x9)a. Q(x) = \pm(x-1)(x-2) \ldots (x-9) - a.

3) Suppose degP,degQ>1\deg P, \deg Q > 1. Then, the only option is degP=degQ=3\deg P = \deg Q = 3.
Since 1,2,,91,2, \ldots, 9 are 9 roots of P(Q(x))P(Q(x)), we have P(x)P(x) have 3 roots a,b,ca, b, c. For each root, for example aa, the equation Q(x)=aQ(x) = a has 3 roots a1,a2,a3a_1, a_2, a_3 then a1,a2,a3,b1,b2,b3,c1,c2,c3a_1, a_2, a_3, b_1, b_2, b_3, c_1, c_2, c_3 form a permutation of 1,2,,91,2, \ldots, 9.
By Vieta's formula, we have
a1+a2+a3=b1+b2+b3 and a1a2+a2a3+a3a1=b1b2+b2b3+b3b1 a_1 + a_2 + a_3 = b_1 + b_2 + b_3 \text{ and } a_1 a_2 + a_2 a_3 + a_3 a_1 = b_1 b_2 + b_2 b_3 + b_3 b_1
so a12+a22+a32=b12+b22+b32a_1^2 + a_2^2 + a_3^2 = b_1^2 + b_2^2 + b_3^2. Since x20x^2 \equiv 0 or 1(mod4)1 \pmod{4} so the number of odd numbers in a1,a2,a3a_1, a_2, a_3 is the same as the number of odd numbers in b1,b2,b3b_1, b_2, b_3.
This implies that the number of odd numbers in 1,2,,91,2, \ldots, 9 is divisible by 3, which is a contradiction.

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