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Algebra Difficulty 6.1 National Olympiad Prove it Taiwan

Let nn be a positive integer. Find the number of odd coefficients of the polynomial (x2x+1)n(x^2 - x + 1)^n.

Solution

Let P(x),Q(x)P(x), Q(x) be polynomials with integer coefficients. If all coefficients of P(x)Q(x)P(x) - Q(x) are even, then the two polynomials are said to be similar, denoted by P(x)Q(x)P(x) \sim Q(x). In this case, the polynomials P(x),Q(x)P(x), Q(x) have the same number of terms with odd coefficients; denote the number of odd coefficients of the polynomial P(x)P(x) by β(P)\beta(P). Clearly,
(x2x+1)n(x2+x+1)n. (x^2 - x + 1)^n \sim (x^2 + x + 1)^n.
Below we discuss the problem of the number of odd coefficients of Pn(x)=(x2+x+1)nP_n(x) = (x^2 + x + 1)^n.

Use mathematical induction to prove: when n=2qn = 2^q (qq a positive integer), Pn(x)x2n+xn+1P_n(x) \sim x^{2n} + x^n + 1. In this way, one can convert the positive integer nn into binary. First consider a simple case: n=2m1,mn = 2^m - 1, m a positive integer.

Let m=2k+1,km = 2k + 1, k be an integer greater than or equal to 0. Then
n=22k+111(mod3). n = 2^{2k+1} - 1 \equiv 1 \pmod{3}.
Consider the polynomial
R(x)=(x+1)(k=0(n1)3xn+3k+k=0(n4)3x3k)+xn1. R(x) = (x+1) \left( \sum_{k=0}^{\frac{(n-1)}{3}} x^{n+3k} + \sum_{k=0}^{\frac{(n-4)}{3}} x^{3k} \right) + x^{n-1}.
Then β(R)=2m+213\beta(R) = \frac{2^{m+2}-1}{3}.
R(x)(x2+x+1)(x+1)(k=0n+1xn+k+k=0n2xk)+xn1(x2+x+1)x2n+2+xn+1+1, \begin{aligned} R(x)(x^2+x+1) &\sim (x+1) \left( \sum_{k=0}^{n+1} x^{n+k} + \sum_{k=0}^{n-2} x^k \right) + x^{n-1}(x^2+x+1) \\ &\sim x^{2n+2} + x^{n+1} + 1, \end{aligned}
and Pn(x)(x2+x+1)x2n+2+xn+1+1P_n(x)(x^2+x+1) \sim x^{2n+2} + x^{n+1} + 1.
Hence β(Pn)=β(R)=2m+2+13\beta(P_n) = \beta(R) = \frac{2^{m+2}+1}{3}.

Now let m=2k+1,km = 2k + 1, k be a positive integer. Then
n=22k10(mod3). n = 2^{2k} - 1 \equiv 0 \pmod{3}.
Consider the polynomial
Q(x)=(x+1)k=0(n3)3(xn+2+3k+x3k)+xn. Q(x) = (x+1) \sum_{k=0}^{\frac{(n-3)}{3}} (x^{n+2+3k} + x^{3k}) + x^n.
Similarly β(Pn)=β(Q)=2m+213\beta(P_n) = \beta(Q) = \frac{2^{m+2}-1}{3}.
Hence β(P2m1(x))=2m+2+(1)m+13\beta(P_{2^m-1}(x)) = \frac{2^{m+2} + (-1)^{m+1}}{3}.

Next consider the general case: express the positive integer nn in binary,
n=(111ak digits000bk digits111ak1 digits000bk1 digits111a1 digits000b1 digits)2, n = (\underbrace{11\cdots1}_{a_k \text{ digits}} \underbrace{00\cdots0}_{b_k \text{ digits}} \underbrace{11\cdots1}_{a_{k-1} \text{ digits}} \underbrace{00\cdots0}_{b_{k-1} \text{ digits}} \cdots \underbrace{11\cdots1}_{a_1 \text{ digits}} \underbrace{00\cdots0}_{b_1 \text{ digits}})_2,
where ai,bia_i, b_i are positive integers, b10b_1 \ge 0.
Let Si=j=1i1(bj+aj)+bi (i = 1, 2, , k). \text{Let } S_i = \sum_{j=1}^{i-1} (b_j + a_j) + b_i \text{ (i = 1, 2, \dots, k).}
Then n=i=1k2Si(2ai1), \text{Then } n = \sum_{i=1}^{k} 2^{S_i}(2^{a_i} - 1),
Pn(x)=i=1k(x2+x+1)2Si(2ai1) P_n(x) = \prod_{i=1}^{k} (x^2 + x + 1)^{2^{S_i} (2^{a_i} - 1)}
i=1k(x2Si+1+x2Si+1)2ai1. \sim \prod_{i=1}^{k} (x^{2^{S_i+1}} + x^{2^{S_i}} + 1)^{2^{a_i}-1}.
Therefore
β(Pn)=i=1k2ai+2(1)ai3. \beta(P_n) = \prod_{i=1}^{k} \frac{2^{a_i+2} - (-1)^{a_i}}{3}.

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