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India — Team Selection Test, 2009

Algebra Difficulty 6.2 National Olympiad Prove it India

Let f(x)f(x) and g(y)g(y) be two monic polynomials with complex coefficients, and of the same degree nn, such that
f(x)−g(y)=∏j=1n(ajx+bjy+cj), f(x) - g(y) = \prod_{j=1}^{n} (a_j x + b_j y + c_j),
where aj,bj,cja_j, b_j, c_j are complex numbers, 1≤j≤n1 \le j \le n. Prove that there exist complex numbers a,b,ca, b, c such that
f(x)=(x+a)n+c,g(y)=(y+b)n+c. f(x) = (x+a)^n + c, \quad g(y) = (y+b)^n + c.

Solution

Observe that ∏j=1naj=1\prod_{j=1}^{n} a_j = 1. Hence by dividing by this product, we may write
f(x)−g(y)=∏j=1nx−αjy+βj. f(x) - g(y) = \prod_{j=1}^{n} x - \alpha_j y + \beta_j.
We observe that
∏j=1n(x−αjy)=xn−yn=∏j=1n(x−wjy), \prod_{j=1}^{n} (x - \alpha_j y) = x^n - y^n = \prod_{j=1}^{n} (x - w^j y),
where ww is the primitive dd-th root of unity. Hence, after renumbering if necessary, we may write αj=wj\alpha_j = w^j, 1≤j≤n1 \le j \le n. Thus we have
f(x)−g(y)=∏j=1n(x−wjy+βj). f(x) - g(y) = \prod_{j=1}^{n} (x - w^j y + \beta_j).
Define
a=β1−wβnw−1,b=β1−βnw−1. a = \frac{\beta_1 - w\beta_n}{w - 1}, \quad b = \frac{\beta_1 - \beta_n}{w - 1}.
Consider F(x)=f(x+a)F(x) = f(x + a), G(y)=g(y+b)G(y) = g(y + b). It is easy to check that
F(x)−G(y)=(x−y)(x−wy)∏j=2n−1(x−wjy+γj), F(x) - G(y) = (x - y)(x - wy) \prod_{j=2}^{n-1} (x - w^j y + \gamma_j),
where γj=βj+a−wjb\gamma_j = \beta_j + a - w^j b, 2≤j≤n−12 \le j \le n-1. Putting y=xy = x, we see that F(x)=G(x)F(x) = G(x). Putting x=wyx = wy, we also see that F(wy)=G(y)=F(y)F(wy) = G(y) = F(y). Thus whenever α\alpha is a root of F(x)=0F(x) = 0, so is wαw\alpha. Thus F(y)=0F(y) = 0 has roots α,wα,…,wn−1α\alpha, w\alpha, \dots, w^{n-1}\alpha. We thus obtain
F(y)=G(y)=(y−α)(y−wα)⋯(y−wn−1α)=yn−αn. F(y) = G(y) = (y - \alpha)(y - w\alpha) \cdots (y - w^{n-1}\alpha) = y^n - \alpha^n.
This gives
f(x)=F(x−a)=(x−a)n−αn,g(y)=(y−b)n−αn. f(x) = F(x - a) = (x - a)^n - \alpha^n, \quad g(y) = (y - b)^n - \alpha^n.

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