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Algebra Difficulty 4.6 AIME Prove it Ukraine

Prove that for any integer nn there is a monic quadratic polynomial x2+bx+cx^2 + bx + c with integer coefficients which attains values n,n2,n3n, n^2, n^3 at some three integer points.

Solution

f(x1)=n, f(x2)=n2, f(x3)=n3. f(x_1) = n,\ f(x_2) = n^2,\ f(x_3) = n^3.
Then for a polynomial g(x)=f(x)ng(x) = f(x) - n we have g(x1)=0g(x_1) = 0, g(x2)=n2ng(x_2) = n^2 - n, g(x3)=n3ng(x_3) = n^3 - n, so g(x)=(xx1)(xt)g(x) = (x - x_1)(x - t) for some integer tt. Then we need to find x1,x2,x3,tx_1, x_2, x_3, t, such that g(x2)=(x2x1)(x2t)=n2ng(x_2) = (x_2 - x_1)(x_2 - t) = n^2 - n, g(x3)=(x3x1)(x3t)=n3ng(x_3) = (x_3 - x_1)(x_3 - t) = n^3 - n. It suffices to have
x2x1=1, x2t=n2n, x3x1=n, x3t=(n21). x_2 - x_1 = 1,\ x_2 - t = n^2 - n,\ x_3 - x_1 = n,\ x_3 - t = (n^2 - 1).
For example, x1=0x_1 = 0, x2=1x_2 = 1, x3=nx_3 = n and t=n2+n+1t = -n^2 + n + 1 satisfy these relations. It's easy to check that the polynomial f(x)=x(x+n2n1)+nf(x) = x(x + n^2 - n - 1) + n attains the desired values at x=0x = 0, x=1x = 1, and x=nx = n.

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