Assume that can be expressed as a polynomial in and . Find the sum of the coefficients of the polynomial. (posed by Zhu Huawei)
Solutions — 2
Solution 1
In the expansion of , let and . We get the sum of coefficients . Since
we get
.
Thus and is a periodic sequence with period 6 and
.
Solution 2
Set and in the expansion of . The sum of the coefficients is . Since are solutions of the equation , , . Therefore
Let , we have .
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