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Algebra Difficulty 7.7 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Romania

Let pp be a prime number, nn a positive integer not divisible by pp, and K\mathbb{K} a field with pnp^n elements, with unit element 1K1_{\mathbb{K}} and zero element 0^=0K\hat{0} = 0_{\mathbb{K}}. For any mNm \in \mathbb{N}^* we denote m^=1K+1K++1Km times\hat{m} = \underbrace{1_{\mathbb{K}} + 1_{\mathbb{K}} + \dots + 1_{\mathbb{K}}}_{m \text{ times}} and we define the polynomial
fm=k=0m(1)mkCmk^XpkK[X]. f_m = \sum_{k=0}^{m} (-1)^{m-k} \widehat{C_m^k} X^{p^k} \in \mathbb{K}[X].

a) Show that the set of the roots of the polynomial f1f_1 is {k^k{0,1,,p1}}\{\hat{k} \mid k \in \{0, 1, \dots, p-1\}\}.

b) Let mNm \in \mathbb{N}^* be arbitrary. Determine the set of the roots in the field K\mathbb{K} of the polynomial fmf_m.

Solution

a.
For any polynomial PK[X]P \in \mathbb{K}[X] we shall denote by ZPZ_P the set of roots of PP in the field K\mathbb{K}. Because K=pn|\mathbb{K}| = p^n, the characteristic of the field K\mathbb{K} is char(K)=p\text{char}(\mathbb{K}) = p. Then m^=0^\hat{m} = \hat{0} for any multiple mm of pp. In particular, since kpk(modp)k^p \equiv k \pmod p, for any k{0,1,,p1}k \in \{0, 1, \dots, p-1\} we have
f1(k^)=(k^)pk^=kp^k^=kpk^=0^, f_1(\hat{k}) = (\hat{k})^p - \hat{k} = \widehat{k^p} - \hat{k} = \widehat{k^p - k} = \hat{0},
Hence, {k^k=0,p1}Zf1\{\hat{k} \mid k = \overline{0, p-1}\} \subseteq Z_{f_1}. Also, because K\mathbb{K} is a field, Zf1grad(f1)=p|Z_{f_1}| \le \text{grad}(f_1) = p. It follows that Zf1={k^k=0,p1}Z_{f_1} = \{\hat{k} \mid k = \overline{0, p-1}\}.

b.
Because pCpkp|C_p^k, for any k=1,p1k = \overline{1, p-1}, the identity (a+b)p=ap+bp(a+b)^p = a^p + b^p holds for any a,bKa, b \in \mathbb{K}, and inductively we have (a+b)pk=apk+bpk(a+b)^{p^k} = a^{p^k} + b^{p^k}, for any a,bKa, b \in \mathbb{K} and any kNk \in \mathbb{N}. Then for any mNm \in \mathbb{N}^* we have:
fm(f1(X))=k=0m(1)mkCmk^(XpX)pk=k=0m(1)mkCmk^(Xpk+1Xpk)==k=0m+1(1)m+1k(Cmk^+Cmk1^)Xpk=k=0m+1(1)m+1kCm+1k^Xpk=fm+1(X). \begin{align*} f_m(f_1(X)) &= \sum_{k=0}^{m} (-1)^{m-k} \widehat{C_m^k} (X^p - X)^{p^k} = \sum_{k=0}^{m} (-1)^{m-k} \widehat{C_m^k} (X^{p^{k+1}} - X^{p^k}) = \\ &= \sum_{k=0}^{m+1} (-1)^{m+1-k} (\widehat{C_m^k} + \widehat{C_m^{k-1}}) X^{p^k} = \sum_{k=0}^{m+1} (-1)^{m+1-k} \widehat{C_{m+1}^k} X^{p^k} = f_{m+1}(X). \end{align*}

We shall prove by induction with respect to mNm \in \mathbb{N}^* that Zfm={k^k=0,p1}Z_{f_m} = \{\hat{k} \mid k = \overline{0, p-1}\} for any mNm \in \mathbb{N}^*, which will solve the problem. For m=1m = 1 we have shown this in part a.

Assume now that the property holds for some arbitrary mNm \in \mathbb{N}^*. We prove now that it will hold also for m+1m + 1:
For any k{0,1,,p1}k \in \{0, 1, \dots, p-1\} we have
fm+1(k^)=fm(f1(k^))=fm(0^)=0^, f_{m+1}(\hat{k}) = f_m(f_1(\hat{k})) = f_m(\hat{0}) = \hat{0},
so that {k^k=0,p1}Zfm+1\{\hat{k} \mid k = \overline{0, p-1}\} \subseteq Z_{f_{m+1}}.
Let αZfm+1\alpha \in Z_{f_{m+1}} be arbitrary. Then fm(f1(α))=fm+1(α)=0^f_m(f_1(\alpha)) = f_{m+1}(\alpha) = \hat{0}, so that f1(α)Zfmf_1(\alpha) \in Z_{f_m}. Hence, there is a k{0,1,,p1}k \in \{0, 1, \dots, p-1\} such that f1(α)=k^f_1(\alpha) = \hat{k}. We obtain
αp=α+k^,αp2=(α+k^)p=αp+k^p=(α+k^)+k^=α+2k^, \alpha^p = \alpha + \hat{k}, \quad \alpha^{p^2} = (\alpha + \hat{k})^p = \alpha^p + \hat{k}^p = (\alpha + \hat{k}) + \hat{k} = \alpha + 2 \cdot \hat{k},
and, inductively, if αpm=α+mk^\alpha^{p^m} = \alpha + m \cdot \hat{k}, then αpm+1=(α+mk^)p=α+(m+1)k^\alpha^{p^{m+1}} = (\alpha + m \cdot \hat{k})^p = \alpha + (m+1) \cdot \hat{k}.
In the multiplicative group (K,)(\mathbb{K}^*, \cdot) we have xpn1=1x^{p^n-1} = 1, for any xKx \in \mathbb{K}^*, so that xpn=xx^{p^n} = x holds for any element xKx \in \mathbb{K}. Then α=αpn=α+nk^\alpha = \alpha^{p^n} = \alpha + n \cdot \hat{k}, and nk^=0^n \cdot \hat{k} = \hat{0}.
Since nn is not divisible by the characteristic pp, it follows that k^=0^\hat{k} = \hat{0}. But then f1(α)=0^f_1(\alpha) = \hat{0} and αZf1={k^k=0,p1}\alpha \in Z_{f_1} = \{\hat{k} \mid k = \overline{0, p-1}\}. Thus we obtained the reverse inclusion Zfm+1{k^k=0,p1}Z_{f_{m+1}} \subseteq \{\hat{k} \mid k = \overline{0, p-1}\}, so that the equality Zfm+1={k^k=0,p1}Z_{f_{m+1}} = \{\hat{k} \mid k = \overline{0, p-1}\} holds. The claim holds then for any mNm \in \mathbb{N}^*.

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