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Algebra Difficulty 8.3 Shortlist Prove it Romania

Determine all polynomials PP with integer coefficients, satisfying 0P(n)n!0 \le P(n) \le n!, for all non-negative integers nn.

Solution

The required polynomials are P=0P = 0, P=1P = 1, P=(X1)2P = (X - 1)^2, P=X(X1)(Xk)P = X(X - 1)\cdots(X - k) and P=X(X1)(Xk)(Xk2)2P = X(X - 1)\cdots(X - k)(X - k - 2)^2 for some non-negative integer kk. The verification is routine and is hence omitted.

We first deal with the case P(0)=1P(0) = 1. The polynomials P1=1P_1 = 1 and P2=(X1)2P_2 = (X-1)^2 both satisfy the condition in the statement and P1(0)=P2(0)=1P_1(0) = P_2(0) = 1.

We will prove that either P=P1P = P_1 or P=P2P = P_2. Consider an index ii such that P(1)=Pi(1)P(1) = P_i(1) and let P~=PPi\tilde{P} = P - P_i.
Induct on nn to show that P~(n)=0\tilde{P}(n) = 0 for all non-negative integers nn. The base cases n=0n = 0 and n=1n = 1 are clear. For the inductive step, assume P~(m)=0\tilde{P}(m) = 0 for all non-negative integers m<nm < n. Then X(X1)(X(n1))X(X-1)\cdots(X-(n-1)) divides P~\tilde{P}, so n!n! divides P~(n)\tilde{P}(n). As 0<Pi(n)<n!0 < P_i(n) < n!, it follows that P~(n)=P(n)Pi(n)<n!|\tilde{P}(n)| = |P(n) - P_i(n)| < n!, so P~(n)=0\tilde{P}(n) = 0.
Consequently, P~\tilde{P} has infinitely many roots, so it vanishes identically; that is, P=PiP = P_i, as desired.

Finally, we deal with the case P(0)=0P(0) = 0. Assume PP is non-zero. Let P(X)=XQ(X1)P(X) = XQ(X - 1), where QQ has integer coefficients. Then 0Q(n)n!0 \le Q(n) \le n! for all non-negative integers nn. If Q(0)=0Q(0) = 0, repeat the argument for QQ and so on and so forth, all the way down to some polynomial with a non-zero constant term — this is clearly the case, as PP is non-zero and degrees strictly decrease in the process. By the preceding, such a polynomial is either 11 or (X1)2(X - 1)^2. An obvious induction then shows that PP has one of the last two forms mentioned in the beginning.

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