Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /29 of 39

Algebra Difficulty 6.3 National olympiad Prove it Ukraine

Find all such positive integer nn that for every polynomial g(x)g(x) with real coefficients there exist such polynomials p1(x),p2(x),...,pn(x)p_1(x), p_2(x),..., p_n(x) and q1(x),q2(x),...,qn(x)q_1(x), q_2(x),..., q_n(x) that g(x)=i=1n(pi2(x)+qi3(x))g(x) = \sum_{i=1}^{n} (p_i^2(x) + q_i^3(x)).

Solution

For n2n \ge 2 let q1(x)=q2(x)=...=qn(x)=0q_1(x) = q_2(x) = ... = q_n(x) = 0 and p2(x)=p3(x)=...=pn(x)=0p_2(x) = p_3(x) = ... = p_n(x) = 0, q2(x)=x+13q_2(x) = -\frac{x+1}{3}, q1(x)=x23q_1(x) = \frac{x-2}{3}, p1(x)=13(x+1)p_1(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}(x+1). Then

i=1n(pi2(x)+qi3(x))=x,(1) \sum_{i=1}^{n} (p_i^2(x) + q_i^3(x)) = x, \quad (1)
and changing xx by g(x)g(x) for all polynomials pi(x)p_i(x) and qi(x)q_i(x), any polynomial g(x)g(x) can be obtained:

q2(x)=g(x)+13,q1(x)=g(x)23,p1(x)=13(g(x)+1), q_2(x) = -\frac{g(x)+1}{3}, \quad q_1(x) = \frac{g(x)-2}{3}, \quad p_1(x) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}(g(x)+1),
from (1) it is easy to see that we get what is required.

Lets show that n=1n = 1 does not suit. Suppose that there exist such polynomials p(x)p(x) and q(x)q(x) that
p2(x)+q3(x)=x.(2) p^2(x) + q^3(x) = x. \quad (2)
Changing xx by x2x^2 in (2), we get: (xp(x2))(x+p(x2))=q3(x2)(x - p(x^2))(x + p(x^2)) = q^3(x^2). Suppose that both polynomials xp(x2)x - p(x^2) and x+p(x2)x + p(x^2) have common (possibly complex) root α\alpha, then α=p(α2)=p(α2)\alpha = p(\alpha^2) = -p(\alpha^2), hence α=0\alpha = 0 and p(0)=p(α2)=α=0p(0) = p(\alpha^2) = \alpha = 0, q(0)=0q(0) = 0. But in such case the left-hand side of (2) is divisible by x2x^2, and the right-hand side is not, which is

impossible. So xp(x2)x - p(x^2) and x+p(x2)x + p(x^2) have no common roots. Then each of them has to be a cube of some polynomial (with, possibly, complex coefficients). I.e. xp(x2)=q13(x)x - p(x^2) = q_1^3(x) and x+p(x2)=q23(x)x + p(x^2) = q_2^3(x). Adding up these equalities we get
2x=q13(x)+q23(x)=(q1(x)+q2(x))(q12(x)q1(x)q2(x)+q22(x)), 2x = q_1^3(x) + q_2^3(x) = (q_1(x) + q_2(x))(q_1^2(x) - q_1(x)q_2(x) + q_2^2(x)),
and 2 cases are possible:
1) q1(x)+q2(x)=cq_1(x) + q_2(x) = c;
2) q1(x)+q2(x)=2cxq_1(x) + q_2(x) = 2cx.
For the first case, 2xc=q12(x)q1(x)q2(x)+q22(x)=c23q1(x)(cq1(x))\frac{2x}{c} = q_1^2(x) - q_1(x)q_2(x) + q_2^2(x) = c^2 - 3q_1(x)(c - q_1(x)), which is impossible because the degree of the left-hand side is odd and of the right-hand side is even.
For the second case 1c=q12(x)q1(x)q2(x)+q22(x)=4c2x23q1(x)(2cxq1(x))\frac{1}{c} = q_1^2(x) - q_1(x)q_2(x) + q_2^2(x) = 4c^2x^2 - 3q_1(x)(2cx - q_1(x)), thus degq1(x)=1\deg q_1(x) = 1, i.e. q1(x)=ax+bq_1(x) = ax + b (a0a \neq 0). Then the equality p(x2)=xq13(x)p(x^2) = x - q_1^3(x) is impossible, because the right-hand side is the polynomial of the third degree, and the left-hand side is the polynomial of even degree.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.