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Let α(1,+)\alpha \in (1, +\infty) be a real number, and let P(x)R[x]P(x) \in \mathbb{R}[x] be a monic polynomial with degree 2424, such that
(i) P(0)=1P(0) = 1.
(ii) P(x)P(x) has exactly 2424 positive real roots that are all less than or equal to α\alpha.
Show that P(1)(195)5(α1)24|P(1)| \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5 (\alpha - 1)^{24}.

Solution

Let x1,x2,,x24x_1, x_2, \dots, x_{24} be the roots of the polynomial P(x)P(x). Then 0<x1,x2,,x24α0 < x_1, x_2, \dots, x_{24} \le \alpha, x1x2x24=1x_1x_2 \cdots x_{24} = 1 and we have to prove
(x11)(x21)(x241)(195)5(α1)24. |(x_1 - 1)(x_2 - 1) \cdots (x_{24} - 1)| \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5 (\alpha - 1)^{24}.
If among the numbers x1,x2,,x24x_1, x_2, \dots, x_{24} there is a number equal to 11 then the inequality is obviously true. Consider the case where these numbers are all different from 11. Without loss of generality, assume
x1x2xk<1<xk+1xk+2x24α. x_1 \le x_2 \le \cdots \le x_k < 1 < x_{k+1} \le x_{k+2} \le \cdots \le x_{24} \le \alpha.
The inequality to be proven is rewritten as
(1x1)(1x2)(1xk)(xk+11)(xk+21)(x241)(195)5(α1)24.(1) (1 - x_1)(1 - x_2) \cdots (1 - x_k)(x_{k+1} - 1)(x_{k+2} - 1) \cdots (x_{24} - 1) \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5 (\alpha - 1)^{24}. \quad (1)
Let t=x1x2xkkt = \sqrt[k]{x_1x_2\cdots x_k}. Using the AM-GM inequality, we have
(1x1)(1x2)(1xk)(kx1x2xkk)k(1t)k.(2) (1 - x_1)(1 - x_2) \cdots (1 - x_k) \le \left( \frac{k - x_1 - x_2 - \cdots - x_k}{k} \right)^k \le (1 - t)^k. \quad (2)
Now, for each k+1i24k+1 \le i \le 24, let xi=eyix_i = e^{y_i} and let l=eyk+1++y2424kl = e^{\frac{y_{k+1}+\cdots+y_{24}}{24-k}}. Obviously 0<yk+1y24lnα0 < y_{k+1} \le \cdots \le y_{24} \le \ln \alpha. Consider the function h(x)=ln(ex1)h(x) = \ln(e^x - 1) on the domain (0,+)(0, +\infty), we have h(x)=ex(ex1)2<0h''(x) = -\frac{e^x}{(e^x-1)^2} < 0 so the function hh is concave on the domain (0,+)(0, +\infty). Therefore, according to Jensen's inequality, we have
h(yk+1)++h(y24)(24k)h(yk+1++y2424k), or (xk+11)(xk+21)(x241)(l1)24k.(3) h(y_{k+1}) + \cdots + h(y_{24}) \le (24-k)h\left(\frac{y_{k+1} + \cdots + y_{24}}{24-k}\right), \text{ or } \\ (x_{k+1} - 1)(x_{k+2} - 1) \cdots (x_{24} - 1) \le (l-1)^{24-k}. \quad (3)
Using the inequalities (2) and (3), it can be seen that, to prove the inequality (1), we only need to prove
(1t)k(l1)24k(195)5(α1)24. (1 - t)^k (l - 1)^{24-k} \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5 (\alpha - 1)^{24}.
Since tkl24k=1t^k l^{24-k} = 1 then t=l24kkt = l^{-\frac{24-k}{k}} the above inequality can be rewritten as
(11l24kk)k(l1)24k(195)5(α1)24.(4) \left(1 - \frac{1}{l^{\frac{24-k}{k}}}\right)^k (l-1)^{24-k} \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5 (\alpha-1)^{24}. \quad (4)
Since 1<lα1 < l \le \alpha we have
LHS of (4)=(l24kk1)k(11l)24k(α24kk1)k(11α)24k=(α24kk1)k(α1)24kα24k \begin{align*} \text{LHS of (4)} &= \left(l^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right)^k \left(1 - \frac{1}{l}\right)^{24-k} \\ &\le \left(\alpha^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right)^k \left(1 - \frac{1}{\alpha}\right)^{24-k} = \frac{\left(\alpha^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right)^k (\alpha - 1)^{24-k}}{\alpha^{24-k}} \end{align*}
Thus, to prove the inequality (4), we only need to prove
(α24kk1)k(α1)24kα24k(195)5(α1)24 \frac{\left(\alpha^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right)^k (\alpha - 1)^{24-k}}{\alpha^{24-k}} \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5 (\alpha - 1)^{24}
or
f(α)(195)5,(5) f(\alpha) \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5, \quad (5)
where
f(x)=(x24kk1)kx24k(x1)k. f(x) = \frac{\left(x^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right)^k}{x^{24-k} (x-1)^k}.
We have lnf(x)=kln(x24kk1)(24k)lnxkln(x1)\ln f(x) = k \ln \left(x^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right) - (24-k) \ln x - k \ln(x-1).
Therefore
f(x)f(x)=(24k)x24kkx(x24kk1)24kxkx1=kx24k24x+(24k)x(x1)(x24kk1) \frac{f'(x)}{f(x)} = \frac{(24-k)x^{\frac{24-k}{k}}}{x\left(x^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right)} - \frac{24-k}{x} - \frac{k}{x-1} = - \frac{kx^{\frac{24}{k}} - 24x + (24-k)}{x(x-1)\left(x^{\frac{24-k}{k}} - 1\right)}
Using the AM-GM inequality, we have kx24k24x+(24k)>0kx^{\frac{24}{k}} - 24x + (24-k) > 0. Therefore f(x)<0f'(x) < 0, implies ff is a decreasing function on the domain (1,+)(1, +\infty). Therefore, we deduce that
f(α)limx1+f(x)=(24kk)k. f(\alpha) \le \lim_{x \to 1^+} f(x) = \left(\frac{24-k}{k}\right)^k.
Thus, to prove the inequality (5), we only need to prove that
(24kk)k(195)5, \left(\frac{24-k}{k}\right)^k \le \left(\frac{19}{5}\right)^5,
or
ln(24k)lnk5kln195. \ln(24-k) - \ln k \le \frac{5}{k} \ln \frac{19}{5}.
Consider the function g(x)=ln(24x)lnx5xln195g(x) = \ln(24-x) - \ln x - \frac{5}{x} \ln \frac{19}{5} with 1x231 \le x \le 23. We have
g(x)=124x1x+5x2ln195=x(5ln195+24)120ln195x2(24x) g'(x) = -\frac{1}{24-x} - \frac{1}{x} + \frac{5}{x^2} \ln \frac{19}{5} = -\frac{x(5 \ln \frac{19}{5} + 24) - 120 \ln \frac{19}{5}}{x^2(24-x)}
The equation g(x)=0g'(x) = 0 has a unique solution x0x_0. In addition, it is easy to see that g(5)g(6)<0g'(5)g'(6) < 0 so x0(5,6)x_0 \in (5, 6). Because g(x)>0g'(x) > 0 with x<x0x < x_0 and g(x)<0g'(x) < 0 with x>x0x > x_0, g(x)g(x) reaches its maximum value at x=x0x = x_0. Because kk is a positive integer, we have g(k)max{g(5),g(6)}=0g(k) \le \max\{g(5), g(6)\} = 0. \square

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