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Balkan Shortlist, 2012

Algebra Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Balkan Mathematical Olympiad

Determine the maximum possible number of distinct real roots of a polynomial P(x)P(x) of degree 20122012 with real coefficients satisfying the condition
P(a)3+P(b)3+P(c)3≥3P(a)P(b)P(c) P(a)^3 + P(b)^3 + P(c)^3 \geq 3P(a)P(b)P(c)
for all real numbers a,b,ca, b, c with a+b+c=0a + b + c = 0.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

We will prove that there exists a polynomial P(x)P(x) which satisfies the given condition and has 20122012 distinct real roots.
First we note that the given inequality is equivalent to
(P(a)+P(b)+P(c))((P(a)−P(b))2+(P(b)−P(c))2+(P(c)−P(a))2)≥0, (P(a) + P(b) + P(c))((P(a) - P(b))^2 + (P(b) - P(c))^2 + (P(c) - P(a))^2) \geq 0,
so it is enough to find a polynomial PP such that P(a)+P(b)+P(c)≥0P(a)+P(b)+P(c) \geq 0 whenever a+b+c=0a+b+c = 0.
For positive numbers MM and ε\varepsilon let
PM,ε(x)=(x−M)(x−M−ε)⋯(x−M−2011ε). P_{M,\varepsilon}(x) = (x - M)(x - M - \varepsilon)\cdots(x - M - 2011\varepsilon).
PM,εP_{M,\varepsilon} is positive and decreasing on (−∞,M)(-\infty, M), and PM,εP_{M,\varepsilon} is positive and increasing on (M+2011ε,∞)(M + 2011\varepsilon, \infty). We have PM,ε(x)≥M2012P_{M,\varepsilon}(x) \geq M^{2012} for x≤0x \leq 0 and
∣PM,ε(x)∣=∣(x−M)⋅(x−M−ε)⋯(x−M−2011ε)∣≤(2011ε)2012 |P_{M,\varepsilon}(x)| = |(x - M) \cdot (x - M - \varepsilon) \cdots (x - M - 2011\varepsilon)| \leq (2011\varepsilon)^{2012}
for x∈[M,M+2011ε]x \in [M, M + 2011\varepsilon]. Therefore PM,ε(x)≥−(2011ε)2012P_{M,\varepsilon}(x) \geq -(2011\varepsilon)^{2012} for x≥0x \geq 0.
Let a,ba, b and cc be real numbers with a+b+c=0a + b + c = 0. Without loss of generality assume that a≤0a \leq 0. From the previous inequalities we have
PM,ε(a)+PM,ε(b)+PM,ε(c)≥M2012+2(−(2011ε)2012). P_{M,\varepsilon}(a) + P_{M,\varepsilon}(b) + P_{M,\varepsilon}(c) \geq M^{2012} + 2(-(2011\varepsilon)^{2012}).
Since the right hand side of the last inequality is positive for M=2M = 2 and ε=1/2011\varepsilon = 1/2011, we can take P(x)P(x) to be P2,1/2011(x)P_{2,1/2011}(x).

Solution 2

Note that P(a)3+P(b)3+P(c)3≥3P(a)P(b)P(c)P(a)^3 + P(b)^3 + P(c)^3 \geq 3P(a)P(b)P(c) follows from the AM-GM inequality if P(a),P(b),P(c)P(a), P(b), P(c) are all nonnegative.
We will again work with P(x)=PM,ε(x)P(x) = P_{M,\varepsilon}(x) and we may again assume that a≤0a \leq 0.
If only one of P(b)P(b) and P(c)P(c) is negative then we have
P(a)3+P(b)3+P(c)3≥M3⋅2012−(2011ε)3⋅2012≥0≥3P(a)P(b)P(c) P(a)^3 + P(b)^3 + P(c)^3 \geq M^{3\cdot 2012} - (2011\varepsilon)^{3\cdot 2012} \geq 0 \geq 3P(a)P(b)P(c)
if M≥2011εM \geq 2011\varepsilon.
On the other hand, if both P(b)P(b) and P(c)P(c) are negative, then
P(a)3+P(b)3+P(c)3≥P(a)3−2(2011ε)3⋅2012≥3(2011ε)2⋅2012P(a)≥3P(a)P(b)P(c) P(a)^3 + P(b)^3 + P(c)^3 \geq P(a)^3 - 2(2011\varepsilon)^{3\cdot 2012} \geq 3(2011\varepsilon)^{2\cdot 2012}P(a) \geq 3P(a)P(b)P(c)
if M≥21/20112011εM \geq 2^{1/2011}2011\varepsilon as u3−2v3−3v2u=(u−2v)(u+v)2≥0u^3 - 2v^3 - 3v^2u = (u - 2v)(u + v)^2 \geq 0 for u≥2vu \geq 2v.
We conclude again that P(x)=P2,1/2011(x)P(x) = P_{2,1/2011}(x) works.

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