AlgebraDifficulty 5.3AIME, harderProve itUnited States
Problem:
Suppose P(x) is a cubic polynomial with integer coefficients such that P(5)=5 and P(35)=535. Compute P(5).
Solution
Solution:
Write P(x)=ax3+bx2+cx+d, where a,b,c,d are integers. Then we have that P(5)−5P(35)−535=(5a+c)5+(5b+d−5)=0=(5a+d)+(c−5)35+b325=0 Recall that 5 is irrational. In particular, since (5a+c)5+(5b+d−5)=0, we must have 5a+c=0 and 5b+d−5=0. Similarly, from the condition on 35, we must have 5a+d=c−5=b=0. This is enough to imply (a,b,c,d)=(−1,0,5,5), so P(x)=−x3+5x+5. Hence, our final answer is P(5)=−125+25+5=−95.
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Source: MathNet,
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