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Algebra Difficulty 6.7 National Olympiad Prove it India

Problem:
Find all pairs of integers (a,b)(a, b) so that each of the two cubic polynomials
x3+ax+b and x3+bx+a x^{3}+a x+b \text{ and } x^{3}+b x+a
has all the roots to be integers.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Solution:
The only such pair is (0,0)(0,0), which clearly works. To prove this is the only one, let us prove an auxiliary result first.

Lemma If α,β,γ\alpha, \beta, \gamma are reals so that α+β+γ=0\alpha+\beta+\gamma=0 and α,β,γ2|\alpha|,|\beta|,|\gamma| \geq 2, then
αβ+βγ+γα<αβγ |\alpha \beta+\beta \gamma+\gamma \alpha|<|\alpha \beta \gamma|
Proof. Some two of these reals have the same sign; WLOG, suppose αβ>0\alpha \beta>0. Then γ=(α+β)\gamma=-(\alpha+\beta), so by substituting this,
αβ+βγ+γα=α2+β2+αβ, αβγ=αβ(α+β) |\alpha \beta+\beta \gamma+\gamma \alpha|=\left|\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+\alpha \beta\right|,\ |\alpha \beta \gamma|=|\alpha \beta(\alpha+\beta)|
So we simply need to show αβ(α+β)>α2+β2+αβ|\alpha \beta(\alpha+\beta)|>\left|\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+\alpha \beta\right|. Since α2|\alpha| \geq 2 and β2|\beta| \geq 2, we have
αβ(α+β)=αβ(α+β)2β(α+β)αβ(α+β)=βα(α+β)2α(α+β). \begin{aligned} & |\alpha \beta(\alpha+\beta)|=|\alpha||\beta(\alpha+\beta)| \geq 2|\beta(\alpha+\beta)| \\ & |\alpha \beta(\alpha+\beta)|=|\beta||\alpha(\alpha+\beta)| \geq 2|\alpha(\alpha+\beta)| . \end{aligned}
Adding these and using triangle inequality,
2αβ(α+β)2β(α+β)+2α(α+β)2β(α+β)+α(α+β)2(α2+β2+2αβ)>2(α2+β2+αβ)=2α2+β2+αβ \begin{aligned} 2|\alpha \beta(\alpha+\beta)| & \geq 2|\beta(\alpha+\beta)|+2|\alpha(\alpha+\beta)| \geq 2|\beta(\alpha+\beta)+\alpha(\alpha+\beta)| \\ & \geq 2\left(\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+2 \alpha \beta\right)>2\left(\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+\alpha \beta\right) \\ & =2\left|\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+\alpha \beta\right| \end{aligned}
Here we have used the fact that α2+β2+2αβ=(α+β)2\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+2 \alpha \beta=(\alpha+\beta)^{2} and α2+β2+αβ=(α+β2)2+3β24\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+\alpha \beta=\left(\alpha+\frac{\beta}{2}\right)^{2}+\frac{3 \beta^{2}}{4} are both nonnegative. This proves our claim.

For our main problem, suppose the roots of x3+ax+bx^{3}+a x+b are the integers r1,r2,r3r_{1}, r_{2}, r_{3} and the roots of x3+bx+ax^{3}+b x+a are the integers s1,s2,s3s_{1}, s_{2}, s_{3}. By Vieta's relations, we have
r1+r2+r3=0=s1+s2+s3r1r2+r2r3+r3r1=a=s1s2s3s1s2+s2s3+s3s1=b=r1r2r3 \begin{gathered} r_{1}+r_{2}+r_{3}=0=s_{1}+s_{2}+s_{3} \\ r_{1} r_{2}+r_{2} r_{3}+r_{3} r_{1}=a=-s_{1} s_{2} s_{3} \\ s_{1} s_{2}+s_{2} s_{3}+s_{3} s_{1}=b=-r_{1} r_{2} r_{3} \end{gathered}
If all six of these roots had an absolute value of at least 2, by our lemma, we would have
b=s1s2+s2s3+s3s1<s1s2s3=r1r2+r2r3+r3r1<r1r2r3=b |b|=\left|s_{1} s_{2}+s_{2} s_{3}+s_{3} s_{1}\right|<\left|s_{1} s_{2} s_{3}\right|=\left|r_{1} r_{2}+r_{2} r_{3}+r_{3} r_{1}\right|<\left|r_{1} r_{2} r_{3}\right|=|b|
which is absurd. Thus at least one of them is in the set {0,1,1}\{0,1,-1\}; WLOG, suppose it's r1r_{1}.

1. If r1=0r_{1}=0, then r2=r3r_{2}=-r_{3}, so b=0b=0. Then the roots of x3+bx+a=x3+ax^{3}+b x+a=x^{3}+a are precisely the cube roots of a-a, and these are all real only for a=0a=0. Thus (a,b)=(0,0)(a, b)=(0,0), which is a solution.

2. If r1=±1r_{1}= \pm 1, then ±1±a+b=0\pm 1 \pm a+b=0, so aa and bb can't both be even. If a=s1s2s3a=-s_{1} s_{2} s_{3} is odd, then s1,s2,s3s_{1}, s_{2}, s_{3} are all odd, so s1+s2+s3s_{1}+s_{2}+s_{3} cannot be zero. Similarly, if bb is odd, we get a contradiction.

The proof is now complete.

Solution 2

Solution:
The only such pair is (0,0)(0,0), which clearly works. Let us prove this is the only one. In what follows, we use ν2(n)\nu_{2}(n) to denote the largest integer kk so that 2kn2^{k} \mid n for any non-zero nZn \in \mathbb{Z}.

If one of the cubics has 0 as a root, say the first one, then 03+0a+b=00^{3}+0 \cdot a+b=0, so b=0b=0. Then the roots of x3+bx+a=x3+ax^{3}+b x+a=x^{3}+a are precisely the cube roots of a-a, and these are all real only for a=0a=0. Thus (a,b)=(0,0)(a, b)=(0,0).

So suppose none of the roots are zero. Take the cubic x3+ax+bx^{3}+a x+b, and suppose its roots are x,y,zx, y, z. We cannot have ν2(x)=ν2(y)=ν2(z)\nu_{2}(x)=\nu_{2}(y)=\nu_{2}(z); indeed, if we had x=2kx1,y=2ky1,z=2kz1x=2^{k} x_{1}, y=2^{k} y_{1}, z=2^{k} z_{1} for odd x1,y1,z1x_{1}, y_{1}, z_{1}, then
0=x+y+z=2k(x1+y1+z1) 0=x+y+z=2^{k}\left(x_{1}+y_{1}+z_{1}\right)
But x1+y1+z1x_{1}+y_{1}+z_{1} is odd, and hence non-zero, so this cannot happen.

Thus we can assume WLOG that ν2(x)>ν2(y)\nu_{2}(x)>\nu_{2}(y). Then the third root is (x+y)-(x+y). Similarly, the three roots of x3+bx+ax^{3}+b x+a can be written as p,q,(p+q)p, q,-(p+q) where ν2(p)>ν2(q)\nu_{2}(p)>\nu_{2}(q). By Vieta's relations,
xyx(x+y)y(x+y)=(x2+xy+y2)=a=pq(p+q)pqp(p+q)q(p+q)=(p2+pq+q2)=b=xy(x+y) \begin{gathered} x y-x(x+y)-y(x+y)=-\left(x^{2}+x y+y^{2}\right)=a=p q(p+q) \\ p q-p(p+q)-q(p+q)=-\left(p^{2}+p q+q^{2}\right)=b=x y(x+y) \end{gathered}
Suppose x=2kx1x=2^{k} x_{1} and y=2y1y=2^{\ell} y_{1} for odd x1,y1x_{1}, y_{1} and k>k>\ell; in particular k>0k>0. Then
xy(x+y)=2kx12y1(2kx1+2y1)=2k+2x1y1(2kx1+y1) x y(x+y)=2^{k} x_{1} \cdot 2^{\ell} y_{1} \cdot\left(2^{k} x_{1}+2^{\ell} y_{1}\right)=2^{k+2 \ell} x_{1} y_{1}\left(2^{k-\ell} x_{1}+y_{1}\right)
Here x1y1(2kx1+y1)x_{1} y_{1}\left(2^{k-\ell} x_{1}+y_{1}\right) is clearly odd, so ν2(xy(x+y))=k+2\nu_{2}(x y(x+y))=k+2 \ell.

Also,
x2+xy+y2=22kx12+2kx12y1+22y12=22(22k2x12+2kx1y1+y12) x^{2}+x y+y^{2}=2^{2 k} x_{1}^{2}+2^{k} x_{1} \cdot 2^{\ell} y_{1}+2^{2 \ell} y_{1}^{2}=2^{2 \ell}\left(2^{2 k-2 \ell} x_{1}^{2}+2^{k-\ell} x_{1} y_{1}+y_{1}^{2}\right)
Again, all the terms in the second factor are even except y12y_{1}^{2}, so the entire factor is odd. This means ν2(x2+xy+y2)=2\nu_{2}\left(x^{2}+x y+y^{2}\right)=2 \ell.

Therefore
ν2(xy(x+y))>ν2(x2+xy+y2) \nu_{2}(x y(x+y))>\nu_{2}\left(x^{2}+x y+y^{2}\right)
Similarly, one may show
ν2(pq(p+q))>ν2(p2+pq+q2) \nu_{2}(p q(p+q))>\nu_{2}\left(p^{2}+p q+q^{2}\right)
But then
ν2(b)=ν2(xy(x+y))>ν2(x2+xy+y2)=ν2(pq(p+q))>ν2(p2+pq+q2)=ν2(b) \nu_{2}(b)=\nu_{2}(x y(x+y))>\nu_{2}\left(x^{2}+x y+y^{2}\right)=\nu_{2}(p q(p+q))>\nu_{2}\left(p^{2}+p q+q^{2}\right)=\nu_{2}(b)
Here we have used the fact that ν2(n)=ν2(n)\nu_{2}(n)=\nu_{2}(-n) for any integer nn. But this is a contradiction, proving our claim.

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