Problem:
Let be a polynomial with integer coefficients such that . Prove that has no integer roots.
Solution
Solution:
Let
If we plug in , all terms except will be even, so since is odd, must be odd. But then if we plug in any other even number for , will still be odd since all the terms except will still be even, so cannot be . Thus, can have no even roots.
However, if we plug in an odd number for , the term in has the same parity as the term in for each . Thus, the sum has the same parity as the sum . But is odd, so must be odd as well, and so not . Thus, cannot have odd roots either, so it has no integer roots.
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