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Algebra Difficulty 7.6 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Balkan Mathematical Olympiad

For a polynomial PR[x]P \in \mathbb{R}[x], let f(P)=nf(P) = n if nn is the smallest positive integer such that
(xR)(P(P(P(x))))n>0, (\forall x \in \mathbb{R}) \underbrace{(P(P(\dots P(x))\dots))}_{n} > 0,
and f(P)=0f(P) = 0 if such an integer nn does not exist. Does there exist a polynomial PR[x]P \in \mathbb{R}[x] of degree 201420152014^{2015} such that f(P)=2015f(P) = 2015?

Solution

The answer is that it does exist such a polynomial. Actually we shall prove a more general result: Let ss be an even integer and t>1t > 1 be an arbitrary integer. Then for some constant c>0c > 0 for the polynomial P(x)=(x+1)s+c1P(x) = (x+1)^s + c-1 (which is of degree ss) we have f(P)=tf(P) = t. Indeed:
The polynomial PP is strictly increasing function on the interval [1,)[-1, \infty). Let xk(c)x_k(c) be the minimal value of the polynomial P(P(P(x)))k\underbrace{P(P(\dots P(x))\dots)}_{k} for a fixed c>0c > 0,

Consider xk(c)x_k(c) is strictly increasing, because of x1(c)=c1>1x_1(c) = c-1 > -1 and xk+1(c)=P(xk(c))x_{k+1}(c) = P(x_k(c)). The equation xt1(c)=0x_{t-1}(c) = 0 (where cc is the unknown). Since the leading coefficient of the polynomial xt1(c)x_{t-1}(c) equals 11 and the constant term is 1-1 (we can prove these claims trivially by induction on tt), this polynomial has a positive zero. Let c0c_0 be one of them. Now for the polynomial P(x)=(x+1)s+c01P(x) = (x+1)^s + c_0 - 1 we have xt1(c0)=0x_{t-1}(c_0) = 0, and therefore xt(c0)=P(0)=c0>0x_t(c_0) = P(0) = c_0 > 0. This completes the proof. \square

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