Determine for which values of n all the solutions of the equation X3−3X+n=0 are integers.
Solution
Solution:
If a,b,c are the three solutions (not necessarily distinct) of the equation X3−3X+n=0, then X3−3X+n=(X−a)(X−b)(X−c)=X3−(a+b+c)X2+(ab+ac+bc)X−abc. It follows that ⎩⎨⎧a+b+c=0ab+ac+bc=−3abc=−n. Observing that (a+b+c)2=a2+b2+c2+2(ab+ac+bc), one obtains a2+b2+c2=6. If a,b,c are integers, this is possible only if two of the squares are equal to 1 and the third is equal to 4. Therefore we may assume, by symmetry, that a=±1,b=±1,c=±2. Since moreover we must have a+b+c=0, the only possibilities are a=b=1,c=−2 and a=b=−1,c=2, from which, respectively, n=2 and n=−2. By what we have just observed,
X3−3X+2=(X−1)2(X+2),X3−3X−2=(X+1)2(X−2) and therefore n=2 and n=−2 are indeed solutions of the problem.
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Source: MathNet,
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