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Algebra Difficulty 8.1 Shortlist Prove it Bulgaria

Problem:
Find all pairs (P,Q)(P, Q) of polynomials with real coefficients such that
P(x)Q(x)P(x+1)Q(x+1)=1x(x+2) \frac{P(x)}{Q(x)}-\frac{P(x+1)}{Q(x+1)}=\frac{1}{x(x+2)}
for infinitely many xRx \in \mathbb{R}.

Solution

Solution:
First solution. It suffices to consider the case when PP and Q≢0Q\not\equiv 0 are relatively prime polynomials and the leading coefficient of QQ equals 11. We have
x(x+2)(P(x)Q(x+1)Q(x)P(x+1))=Q(x)Q(x+1) x(x+2)(P(x) Q(x+1)-Q(x) P(x+1))=Q(x) Q(x+1)
for infinitely many xx, i.e. for every xx. Thus the polynomials Q(x)Q(x) and Q(x+1)Q(x+1) divide x(x+2)Q(x+1)x(x+2) Q(x+1) and x(x+2)Q(x)x(x+2) Q(x) respectively.
Therefore S(x)Q(x)=x(x+2)Q(x+1)S(x) Q(x)=x(x+2) Q(x+1) and T(x)Q(x+1)=x(x+2)Q(x)T(x) Q(x+1)=x(x+2) Q(x), where SS and TT are quadratic polynomials with leading coefficients 11. Hence, S(x)T(x)=x2(x+2)2S(x) T(x)=x^{2}(x+2)^{2}. There are three cases to be considered.

Case 1. S(x)=T(x)=x(x+2)S(x)=T(x)=x(x+2). Then Q(x+1)=Q(x)Q(x+1)=Q(x), i.e. Q1Q \equiv 1 and the condition of the problem shows that this is impossible.

Case 2. S(x)=x2S(x)=x^{2} and T(x)=(x+2)2T(x)=(x+2)^{2}. Then xQ(x)=(x+2)Q(x+1)x Q(x)=(x+2) Q(x+1). Therefore Q(1)=0Q(1)=0 and it follows by induction that Q(n)=0Q(n)=0 for all nNn \in \mathbb{N}. Hence Q0Q \equiv 0, a contradiction.

Case 3. S(x)=(x+2)2S(x)=(x+2)^{2} and T(x)=x2T(x)=x^{2}. Then (x+2)Q(x)=xQ(x+1)(x+2) Q(x)=x Q(x+1) and therefore xx divides Q(x)Q(x) and x+2x+2 divides Q(x+1)Q(x+1), i.e. x+1x+1 divides Q(x)Q(x). It follows that Q(x)=x(x+1)Q1(x)Q(x)=x(x+1) Q_{1}(x), where Q1Q_{1} has leading coefficient 11 and Q1(x+1)=Q1(x)Q_{1}(x+1)=Q_{1}(x). We conclude that Q1(x)=1Q_{1}(x)=1 and Q(x)=x(x+1)Q(x)=x(x+1). Now plugging Q(x)Q(x) in (1) gives
(x+2)P(x)xP(x+1)=x+1 (x+2) P(x)-x P(x+1)=x+1
Setting x=0x=0 and x=1x=-1 we obtain P(0)=12P(0)=\frac{1}{2} and P(1)=12P(-1)=-\frac{1}{2}. Therefore P(x)=12+x+x(x+1)P1(x)P(x)=\frac{1}{2}+x+x(x+1) P_{1}(x), where P1P_{1} is a polynomial. Now (2) implies that P1(x+1)=P1(x)P_{1}(x+1)=P_{1}(x) and therefore P1P_{1} is a constant.
We conclude that if the polynomials PP and QQ are relatively prime and a0=1a_{0}=1, then Q(x)=x(x+1)Q(x)=x(x+1) and P(x)=12+x+cx(x+1)P(x)=\frac{1}{2}+x+c x(x+1).
Therefore the answer is
Q(x)=x(x+1)R(x) and P(x)=(12+x+cx(x+1))R(x) Q(x)=x(x+1) R(x) \text{ and } P(x)=\left(\frac{1}{2}+x+c x(x+1)\right) R(x)
where RR is an arbitrary nonzero polynomial and cc is a constant.

Second solution. The given identity can be written as
P(x)Q(x)12(1x+1x+1)=P(x+1)Q(x+1)12(1x+1+1x+2) \frac{P(x)}{Q(x)}-\frac{1}{2}\left(\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{x+1}\right)=\frac{P(x+1)}{Q(x+1)}-\frac{1}{2}\left(\frac{1}{x+1}+\frac{1}{x+2}\right)
Hence it follows by induction that
P(x)Q(x)12(1x+1x+1)=P(x+n)Q(x+n)12(1x+n+1x+n+1) \frac{P(x)}{Q(x)}-\frac{1}{2}\left(\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{x+1}\right)=\frac{P(x+n)}{Q(x+n)}-\frac{1}{2}\left(\frac{1}{x+n}+\frac{1}{x+n+1}\right)
Fixing xx and letting nn \rightarrow \infty we see that P(x)Q(x)12(1x+1x+1)=c\frac{P(x)}{Q(x)}-\frac{1}{2}\left(\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{x+1}\right)=c, where cc is a constant. Now it is easy to conclude that Q(x)=x(x+1)R(x)Q(x)=x(x+1) R(x) and P(x)=(12+x+cx(x+1))R(x)P(x)=\left(\frac{1}{2}+x+c x(x+1)\right) R(x).

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