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Algebra Difficulty 6.9 National Olympiad Prove it Vietnam

Let P(x)P(x) be a polynomial with real coefficients satisfying the condition: there are infinitely many pairs of integers m,nm, n for which P(m)+P(n)=0P(m) + P(n) = 0. Prove that the graph of function y=P(x)y = P(x) has a center of symmetry.

Solution

If degP(x)=0\deg P(x) = 0 then P(x)=0P(x) = 0, and the statement of the problem is obviously true. Consider the case degP(x)>0\deg P(x) > 0. Without loss of generality, we can assume that the leading coefficient of P(x)P(x) equals 11. If the degree of P(x)P(x) is even then for xx with absolute value big enough, we will have P(x)>0P(x) > 0 and as a consequence, we can find only finitely many pairs of integers m,nm, n for which P(m)+P(n)=0P(m) + P(n) = 0, which contradicts the given condition. So, the degree of P(x)P(x) should be odd (we will use this fact further).

Now, we note that from some xx the polynomial P(x)P(x) strictly increases and tends to infinity when xx tends to infinity (if P(x)>0P'(x) > 0 then this property holds for all xx, if the equation P(x)=0P'(x) = 0 has real roots then we could choose xx greater than the biggest root of P(x)P'(x)). Moreover, for each integer nn, there exists finitely many integers mm for which P(m)=P(n)P(m) = -P(n) (a polynomial can admit one value only in a finite number of points, not exceeding its degree).

With the above argument, we see that for all CC, there is a pair of integers m,nm, n such that P(m)+P(n)=0P(m) + P(n) = 0, where mm and nn have opposite signs and have absolute values greater than CC.

Assume that P(x)P(x) has degree kk and P(x)=xk+axk1+P(x) = x^k + a x^{k-1} + \dots (here \dots denotes the lower terms). It is easy to choose a number dd such that the polynomial P(xd)P(x-d) has the form xk+bxk2+x^k + b x^{k-2} + \dots, i.e., the coefficient of xk1x^{k-1} equals 00.

Indeed, P(xd)=(xd)k+a(xd)k1+=xkkdxk1+axk1+P(x-d) = (x-d)^k + a(x-d)^{k-1} + \dots = x^k - k d x^{k-1} + a x^{k-1} + \dots so, we just need to choose d=akd = \frac{a}{k}. Now, we prove that the point (d;0)(d; 0) is the center of symmetry of the graph of y=P(x)y = P(x).

Put P(xd)=Q(x)P(x-d) = Q(x), we will prove that Q(x)=Q(x)Q(x) = -Q(-x) for all real xx.

As we know, Q(x)=xk+bxk2+Q(x) = x^k + b x^{k-2} + \dots and the equation Q(m)+Q(n)=0Q(m) + Q(n) = 0 has infinitely many solutions for which md,ndm-d, n-d are integers. We choose the solutions with big enough absolute value with m>0,n<0m > 0, n < 0. We will prove that m=n|m| = |n|.

Indeed, assume that m<n|m| < |n|. Consider the case n=m1n = -m - 1 (other cases can be proved similarly). Then
Q(m)+Q(n)=Q(m)+Q(m1)=mk+bmk1++(m1)k+b(m1)k2+=kmk1+R(m) Q(m) + Q(n) = Q(m) + Q(-m-1) = \\ m^k + b m^{k-1} + \dots + (-m-1)^k + b(-m-1)^{k-2} + \dots = -k m^{k-1} + R(m)
where R(x)R(x) is a fixed polynomial of degree not greater than k2k-2. If mm is big enough, the value of kmk1k m^{k-1} will be bigger than R(m)|R(m)| so the sum kmk1+R(m)-k m^{k-1} + R(m) will be less than 00. When the absolute value of nn increases then the sum Q(m)+Q(n)Q(m) + Q(n) decreases (because Q(n)Q(n) is decreasing). So, it is not possible to have m<n|m| < |n| where m,nm, n have big enough absolute value. Similarly, we cannot have the case m>n|m| > |n|.

Therefore, there exist infinitely many numbers mm such that Q(m)+Q(m)=0Q(m) + Q(-m) = 0, i.e., the polynomial Q(x)+Q(x)Q(x) + Q(-x) has infinitely many roots. This can occur only when this polynomial is the zero polynomial. That is, we have the identity Q(x)+Q(x)=0Q(x) + Q(-x) = 0 and so, the graph of y=Q(x)y = Q(x) is symmetric about the point (0;0)(0; 0).

Therefore, the graph of y=P(x)y = P(x) has the center of symmetry at the point (d;0)(d; 0). We have done.

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