Find the smallest positive integer N with the following property: For any degree five polynomial P(x) with integer coefficients, there is 0≤x≤1 such that ∣P(x)∣>N1.
Solution
Answer: N=56. First we prove N=56 has the property. Suppose, on the contrary, that for a degree five polynomial P(x) with integer coefficients, we have ∣P(x)∣≤561 for all 0≤x≤1. Then the nonnegative integers ∣P(0)∣,∣P(1)∣,32∣P(1/2)∣ are strictly smaller than 1, thus are equal to 0. Let Q(x)=x(1−x)(2x−1). By the Gauss lemma, there is a quadratic polynomial D(x) with integer coefficients such that P(x)=Q(x)D(x). Now consider α=21−251andβ=21+251. Clearly 0<α<β<1, α+β=1, αβ=51 and Q(α)=−551, Q(β)=551. Moreover, 25D(α)D(β) is a polynomial expression of 5αβ and α+β with integer coefficients, thus is an integer. It follows 3125P(α)P(β)=−25D(α)D(β) is an integer. On the other hand, ∣3125P(α)P(β)∣≤31363125<1, hence D(α)D(β)=0. It follows (5x2−5x+1)∣D(x) and we may assume that D(x)=5x2−5x+1. This leads to the contradiction: P(0.9)=0.9⋅0.1⋅0.8⋅0.55>0.036>0.02>561. This proves for any degree five polynomial P(x) with integer coefficients, there is 0≤x≤1 such that P(x)>561.
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