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Algebra Difficulty 8.1 Shortlist Prove it Romania

A nonconstant polynomial ff with integral coefficients has the property that, for each prime pp, there exist a prime qq and a positive integer mm such that f(p)=qmf(p) = q^m. Prove that f=Xnf = X^n for some positive integer nn.

Solution

We claim that for every prime pp, f(p)=pmf(p) = p^m, where mm is a positive integer which (possibly) depends on pp. Assume the claim for the time being. Since the degree nn of ff is positive, the claim forces f(p)=pnf(p) = p^n for sufficiently large primes pp. Consequently, the polynomials ff and XnX^n agree infinitely many times, so f=Xnf = X^n.

Back to the claim, suppose that f(p)=qmf(p) = q^m for some distinct primes pp and qq and some positive integer mm. Since qm+1q^{m+1} divides the difference f(p+kqm+1)f(p)f(p + kq^{m+1}) - f(p), k=1,2,3,k = 1, 2, 3, \dots, and qmq^m divides f(p)f(p) but qm+1q^{m+1} does not, it follows that qq divides f(p+kqm+1)f(p + kq^{m+1}) but qm+1q^{m+1} does not. Use Dirichlet's theorem to choose kk so large that p+kqm+1p+kq^{m+1} be prime and f(p+kqm+1)>qmf(p+kq^{m+1}) > q^m. By hypothesis, f(p+kqm+1)f(p+kq^{m+1}) is a power of a prime. Recall that qq divides f(p+kqm+1)f(p+kq^{m+1}) to deduce that f(p+kqm+1)=qrf(p+kq^{m+1}) = q^r for some positive integer rr. Finally, f(p+kqm+1)>qmf(p+kq^{m+1}) > q^m implies r>mr > m, so qm+1q^{m+1} divides f(p+kqm+1)f(p+kq^{m+1}) – a contradiction.

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