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Algebra Difficulty 8.7 Shortlist Prove it Slovenia

Find all positive integers nn for which there exists a polynomial P(x)P(x) with integer coefficients such that P(d)=(nd)2P(d) = \left(\frac{n}{d}\right)^2 for each positive divisor dd of nn.

Solution

Obviously, such a polynomial exists for n=1n = 1. In this case the only condition is that P(1)=1P(1) = 1 and the polynomial P(x)=xP(x) = x has this property.

If nn is a prime, then its only two divisors are 11 and nn. The polynomial PP must satisfy the conditions P(1)=n2P(1) = n^2 and P(n)=1P(n) = 1. Let us write P(x)=ax+bP(x) = ax + b and solve the resulting system of equations. We get P(x)=(p1)x+p2+p+1P(x) = (-p-1)x + p^2 + p + 1.

Assume that n=kln = k \cdot l is not a prime and k,l>1k, l > 1. We have P(1)=n2P(1) = n^2, P(l)=k2P(l) = k^2, P(k)=l2P(k) = l^2 and P(n)=1P(n) = 1. We know that for arbitrary integers aa and bb the number P(a)P(b)P(a) - P(b) is divisible by aba-b. So, nk=k(l1)n-k = k(l-1) divides P(n)P(k)=1l2=(1l)(1+l)P(n)-P(k) = 1-l^2 = (1-l)(1+l). This implies that kk divides l+1l+1. Similarly, we show that nln-l divides P(n)P(l)P(n)-P(l). So l(k1)l(k-1) divides (1k)(1+k)(1-k)(1+k) and ll divides k+1k+1. Hence, klkl divides (k+1)(l+1)(k+1)(l+1) and therefore it also divides (k+1)(l+1)kl=k+l+1(k+1)(l+1) - kl = k+l+1. We must have klk+l+1kl \le k+l+1, which implies that klkl+12kl - k - l + 1 \le 2 or (k1)(l1)2(k-1)(l-1) \le 2. We may assume that klk \le l. The only possible case is k=2k=2 and l=3l=3, whence n=6n=6.

Let us find a polynomial PP, satisfying the conditions P(1)=36P(1) = 36, P(2)=9P(2) = 9, P(3)=4P(3) = 4 and P(6)=1P(6) = 1. For the polynomial Q(x)=P(x)1Q(x) = P(x) - 1 we have Q(1)=35Q(1) = 35, Q(2)=8Q(2) = 8, Q(3)=3Q(3) = 3 and Q(6)=0Q(6) = 0, so 66 is a root of QQ. Let us write Q(x)=(x6)R(x)Q(x) = (x-6)R(x). For R(x)R(x) we have R(1)=7R(1) = -7, R(2)=2R(2) = -2 and R(3)=1R(3) = -1, so 33 is a root of the polynomial R(x)+1R(x) + 1 and R(x)=1+(x3)S(x)R(x) = 1 + (x-3)S(x). For the polynomial S(x)S(x) we have S(1)=4S(1) = 4 and S(2)=3S(2) = 3. We see that S(x)=5xS(x) = 5-x, whence P(x)=1+(x6)(1+(x3)(x5))P(x) = 1 + (x-6)(1 + (x-3)(x-5)).

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