The polynomial P(x), of degree 42, takes the value 0 at the first 21 odd prime numbers and at their reciprocals (recall that the reciprocal of a positive integer n is the rational number 1/n). What is the value of the ratio P(2)/P(1/2)?
Pick one
Solution
Solution:
The answer is (E). Observe that the expression Q(x)=P(x)−x42P(1/x) is a polynomial, since the monomial x42 simplifies the denominator of P(1/x). Moreover, it has degree at most 42, and if r is one of the first 21 odd prime numbers, Q(x) vanishes at r and at 1/r: indeed, we have Q(r)=P(r)−r42P(1/r)=0Q(1/r)=P(1/r)−(1/r)42P(r)=0, where we used the fact that P(r)=P(1/r)=0 by hypothesis. Finally, Q(x) vanishes at 1, because Q(1)=P(1)−P(1)=0. Since Q(x) vanishes at at least 43 distinct values of x but has degree at most 42 we obtain that Q(x) is the constant polynomial 0, hence P(x)=x42P(1/x) holds for every x. We therefore have P(1/2)P(2)=P(1/2)242P(1/2)=242=421.
Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track
puts 2,604 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.
Source: MathNet,
licensed CC-BY-4.0.
Statement translated into English from it; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.