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Algebra Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Prove it Austria

Determine all polynomials P(x)R[x]P(x) \in \mathbb{R}[x] satisfying the following two conditions:
(a) P(2017)=2016P(2017) = 2016 and
(b) (P(x)+1)2=P(x2+1)(P(x)+1)^2 = P(x^2+1) for all real numbers xx.

Solution

Letting Q(x):=P(x)+1Q(x) := P(x) + 1 we get the two new conditions Q(2017)=2017Q(2017) = 2017 and Q(x2+1)=Q(x)2+1Q(x^2+1) = Q(x)^2 + 1, xRx \in \mathbb{R}.

We now define the sequence xnn0\langle x_n \rangle_{n \ge 0} recursively by x0=2017x_0 = 2017 and xn+1=xn2+1x_{n+1} = x_n^2 + 1, n0n \ge 0. A straightforward induction yields Q(xn)=xnQ(x_n) = x_n, n0n \ge 0, because Q(xn+1)=Q(xn2+1)=Q(xn)2+1=xn2+1=xn+1Q(x_{n+1}) = Q(x_n^2+1) = Q(x_n)^2 + 1 = x_n^2 + 1 = x_{n+1}.

Because of x0<x1<x2<x_0 < x_1 < x_2 < \dots the two polynomials Q(x)Q(x) and id(x)=x\text{id}(x) = x coincide at infinitely many arguments xx. Therefore, Q(x)=xQ(x) = x and thus the unique polynomial satisfying the two conditions of our problem is P(x)=x1P(x) = x - 1.

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