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Algebra Difficulty 5.4 AIME, harder Prove it Croatia

Find all complex numbers aa such that all coefficients of
P(x)=(xa)(xa2)(xa3) P(x) = (x - a)(x - a^2)(x - a^3)
are real numbers.
(Matko Ljulj)

Solution

Obviously, all real numbers satisfy the given condition.
Let us, from now on, assume that aa is not a real number.
Since PP is a polynomial of degree 3, it must have at least one real root. We also know that if zz is a root of PP, then zˉ\bar{z} is a root of PP as well. Hence aˉ=a2\bar{a} = a^2 or aˉ=a3\bar{a} = a^3.
In the first case, we get a=a2|a| = |a|^2, and then a=1|a| = 1 (since a0a \neq 0). Hence a3=a2a=aˉa=a2=1a^3 = a^2 \cdot a = \bar{a} \cdot a = |a|^2 = 1, so both factors (xa)(xa2)(x - a)(x - a^2) and xa3x - a^3 of PP have real coefficients. Since a1a \neq 1, from a3=1a^3 = 1 we get two solutions:
a=1+i32anda=1i32. a = \frac{-1 + i\sqrt{3}}{2} \quad \text{and} \quad a = \frac{-1 - i\sqrt{3}}{2}.
In the second case, we similarly get a4=1a^4 = 1, hence a=±ia = \pm i, so both factors (xa)(xa3)(x-a)(x-a^3) and xa2x-a^2 of PP have real coefficients.

a{i,i,1+i32,1i32}, a \in \left\{ i, -i, \frac{-1 + i\sqrt{3}}{2}, \frac{-1 - i\sqrt{3}}{2} \right\},
along with all real numbers.

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