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Algebra Difficulty 7.7 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Bulgaria

Find all positive integers nn such that there exists a polynomial ff of degree nn with integer coefficients and a positive leading coefficient and a polynomial gg with integer coefficients such that the equality
xf2(x)+f(x)=(x3x)g2(x) xf^2(x) + f(x) = (x^3 - x)g^2(x)
holds for every real xx.

Solution

We have xf2(x)+f(x)=(x3x)g2(x)[2xf(x)+1]2=(x21)[2xg(x)]2+1xf^2(x) + f(x) = (x^3 - x)g^2(x) \Leftrightarrow [2xf(x) + 1]^2 = (x^2 - 1)[2xg(x)]^2 + 1.
We will now find all pairs (p,q)(p, q) of integer-coefficient polynomials such that p2(x)=(x21)q2(x)+1p^2(x) = (x^2 - 1)q^2(x) + 1.
Let (p,q)(p, q) be one such pair such that the degree of qq is k1k \ge 1. We can assume, without loss of generality, that pp and qq have positive leading coefficients. Let P0=P_0 =

pp and Q0=qQ_0 = q and let P1(x)=xp(x)(x21)q(x)P_1(x) = xp(x) - (x^2 - 1)q(x) and Q1(x)=p(x)+xq(x)Q_1(x) = -p(x) + xq(x). It is easy to show that P1P_1 and Q1Q_1 also satisfy the given equation and that the degree of Q1Q_1 is strictly less than the degree of Q0Q_0.
(One way to come up with this construction is as follows. The equation on pp and qq can be rewritten as 1=(p(x)q(x)x21)(p(x)+q(x)x21)1 = (p(x) - q(x)\sqrt{x^2-1})(p(x) + q(x)\sqrt{x^2-1}). Also, one of its solutions is given by (p,q)=(x,1)(p, q) = (x, 1), i.e. 1=(xx21)(x+x21)1 = (x - \sqrt{x^2-1})(x + \sqrt{x^2-1}). Multiplying the last two equations then gives us exactly 1=(P1(x)Q1(x)x21)(P1(x)+Q1(x)x21)1 = (P_1(x) - Q_1(x)\sqrt{x^2-1})(P_1(x) + Q_1(x)\sqrt{x^2-1}).)
Continuing this process, we will eventually arrive at a solution (Ps,Qs)(P_s, Q_s) such that QsQ_s is constant. There are, however, only two solutions of this kind: (x,1)(x, 1) and (1,0)(1, 0). Since applying the operation to the former yields the latter, we can, without loss of generality, assume that (Ps,Qs)=(1,0)(P_s, Q_s) = (1, 0).
It follows that all solution pairs (p,q)(p, q) are given by the sequence determined by the initial condition (p0,q0)=(1,0)(p_0, q_0) = (1, 0) and the recurrence relation (pi+1,qi+1)=(xpi(x)+(x21)qi(x),pi(x)+xqi(x))(p_{i+1}, q_{i+1}) = (xp_i(x) + (x^2-1)q_i(x), p_i(x) + xq_i(x)). (Or, more precisely, this recurrence yields those solutions in which the leading coefficients of pp and qq are positive.)
A member of that sequence corresponds to a solution of the original equation exactly when p(x)p(x) is congruent to 1(mod2x)1 \pmod{2x} and q(x)q(x) is divisible by 2x2x. Since the first five members of the sequence are (1,0)(1, 0), (x,1)(x, 1), (2x21,2x)(2x^2 - 1, 2x), (4x33x,4x21)(4x^3 - 3x, 4x^2 - 1), and (8x48x2+1,8x34x)(8x^4 - 8x^2 + 1, 8x^3 - 4x) and (p4(x),q4(x))(1,0)(mod2x)(p_4(x), q_4(x)) \equiv (1, 0) \pmod{2x}, the sequence is periodic with period 4(mod2x)4 \pmod{2x} and exactly the members (pi,qi)(p_i, q_i) such that ii is a multiple of 44 yield a solution. Therefore, the necessary values of nn are the numbers 4k+34k + 3 for k0k \ge 0.

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