A function , where is the set of all positive integers, satisfy the following condition: for any positive integers and () the number is divisible by .
Is the function necessarily a polynomial? (In other words, is it true that for any such function there exists a polynomial with real coefficients such that for all positive integers ?)
Solution
Answer: not necessarily.
Let us show that the function satisfy the conditions of the problem.
For any positive integers and () the value of equals to the sum
where is the sum of numbers, divisible by .
Consider the polynomial . Since it has integer coefficients, the difference is divisible by . Therefore the difference is divisible by as well.
Suppose that coincides with some polynomial of degree . By the definition of , the inequality holds for all positive integers . However, in the right-hand side of this inequality there is a polynomial of greater degree and a positive leading coefficient, hence this inequality is not true for all sufficiently large — a contradiction.
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