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Algebra Difficulty 7.1 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Saudi Arabia

Given a polynomial P(x)=anxn+an1xn1++a1x+a0P(x) = a_{n} x^{n} + a_{n-1} x^{n-1} + \cdots + a_{1} x + a_{0} of real coefficients. Suppose that P(x)P(x) has nn real roots (not necessarily distinct), and there exists a positive integer kk such that ak=ak1=0a_{k} = a_{k-1} = 0. Prove that P(x)P(x) has a real root of multiplicity k+1k+1.

(Note: we call a real number x0x_{0} a root of multiplicity ss of a polynomial R(x)R(x) of real coefficients if there exists a polynomial Q(x)Q(x) such that R(x)=(xx0)sQ(x)R(x) = (x - x_{0})^{s} Q(x) and Q(x0)0Q(x_{0}) \neq 0.)

Solution

We will show that ak=ak1=ak2==a0=0a_{k} = a_{k-1} = a_{k-2} = \cdots = a_{0} = 0 by induction on nn, the degree of P(x)P(x).

In fact, we may assume that the leading coefficient of P(x)P(x) is 11. For n=1,2n = 1, 2, the result follows immediately.

Assume that the induction hypothesis is true for every n<mn < m, we shall prove it is also true for n=mn = m. Denote by Pm(x)=xm++a1x+a0P_{m}(x) = x^{m} + \cdots + a_{1} x + a_{0}, and for some k<mk < m, ak=ak1=0a_{k} = a_{k-1} = 0.

By taking derivative of Pm(x)P_{m}(x), we obtain Pm(x)=bm1xm1++b1x+b0P_{m}'(x) = b_{m-1} x^{m-1} + \cdots + b_{1} x + b_{0}, for some real numbers bm1,,b0b_{m-1}, \ldots, b_{0}.

Since ak=ak1=0a_{k} = a_{k-1} = 0, we conclude that bk1=bk2=0b_{k-1} = b_{k-2} = 0.

This together with Pm(x)P_{m}(x) has only real roots, implies that Pm(x)P_{m}'(x) also has only real roots.

Hence, by induction hypothesis, we get bk3==b0=0b_{k-3} = \cdots = b_{0} = 0. In other words, ak2==a1=0a_{k-2} = \cdots = a_{1} = 0. It remains to show that a0=0a_{0} = 0. Assume that a00a_{0} \neq 0, then if r1,,rmr_{1}, \ldots, r_{m} are the roots of Pm(x)P_{m}(x), then by Vieta's theorem,
r1rm=(1)ma0,r1+r2++rm=0 r_{1} \cdots r_{m} = (-1)^{m} a_{0}, \quad r_{1} + r_{2} + \cdots + r_{m} = 0
and
i,j1rirj=0i1ri2=0 \sum_{i, j} \frac{1}{r_{i} r_{j}} = 0 \Rightarrow \sum_{i} \frac{1}{r_{i}^{2}} = 0
a contradiction. Therefore, a0=0a_{0} = 0, the induction process is completed.

Obviously from that, we get 00 is the root of P(x)P(x) with multiplicity at least k+1k+1.

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