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Algebra Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Mongolia

Let P(x)P(x) be a unitary polynomial with integer coefficients and Q(x)=P(x22010)Q(x) = P(x^{2^{2010}}). If P(0)=2010|P(0)| = 2010 then prove that Q(x)Q(x) is irreducible over Z\mathbb{Z}.

Solution

First, we will show that Q1=P(x2)Q_1 = P(x^2) is irreducible over Z\mathbb{Z}. Let degP=n\deg P = n. Then degQ1=2n\deg Q_1 = 2n. To the contrary, assume that there exist R1(x),R2(x)Z[x]R_1(x), R_2(x) \in \mathbb{Z}[x] such that Q1(x)=R1(x)R2(x)Q_1(x) = R_1(x)R_2(x). It is clear that Q1(x)=Q1(x)=R1(x)R2(x)Q_1(x) = Q_1(-x) = R_1(-x) \cdot R_2(-x). Let F(x)F(x) be common factor of R1(x)R_1(x) and R1(x)R_1(-x), with maximum degree. Then it is clear that F(x)=F(x)F(x) = F(-x). Thus, F(x)=G(x2)F(x) = G(x^2) for some G(x)G(x). It is also clear that degGn1\deg G \le n-1. From G(x2)Q(x)=P(x2)G(x^2) \mid Q(x) = P(x^2), we can conclude that G(x)P(x)G(x) \mid P(x). This means that degG=0\deg G = 0 and G(x)cG(x) \equiv c. Since R1(x)R2(x)=R1(x)R2(x)R_1(x)R_2(x) = R_1(-x)R_2(-x) we get
R1(x)R2(x),R2(x)R1(x). R_1(-x) \mid R_2(x), \quad R_2(-x) \mid R_1(x).
Thus degR1=degR2=n\deg R_1 = \deg R_2 = n, R2(x)=cR(x)R_2(x) = cR(-x) and Q(x)=cR1(x)R1(x)Q(x) = cR_1(x)R_1(-x). Since Q(x)Q(x) is a unitary polynomial c=(1)nc = (-1)^n. Hence P(0)=(1)n(R1(0))=a2,aZ|P(0)| = |(-1)^n(R_1(0))| = a^2, a \in \mathbb{Z}. But given is P(0)=2010|P(0)| = 2010, which leads to contradiction. Thus P(x2)P(x^2) is irreducible over Z\mathbb{Z}. Now we define a sequence of polynomials by the following recurrent relation:
Qn+1(x)=Qn(x2),n=1,2, Q_{n+1}(x) = Q_n(x^2), n = 1, 2, \dots
It is obvious that Qn(0)=2010|Q_n(0)| = 2010. Thus Qn(x)Q_n(x) is irreducible over Z\mathbb{Z}.

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