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Algebra Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Netherlands

Let P(x)P(x) be a polynomial with integer coefficients of degree n>1n > 1 for which it holds that Q(x)=P(P(P(x)))P(x)Q(x) = P(P(P(x))) - P(x) has exactly n3n^3 distinct real roots. Prove that the roots of Q(x)Q(x) can be partitioned into two groups with equal arithmetic means.

Solution

Write γi\gamma_i with 1in31 \le i \le n^3 for the distinct roots of Q(x)Q(x). For these γi\gamma_i, we have that P(P(P(γi)))P(γi)=0P(P(P(\gamma_i))) - P(\gamma_i) = 0, so P(γi)P(\gamma_i) is a zero of the polynomial P(P(x))xP(P(x)) - x. The degree of P(P(x))xP(P(x)) - x is n2n^2, so this polynomial has at most n2n^2 distinct roots. Denote these by βi\beta_i. For each root βi\beta_i, the equation P(x)=βiP(x) = \beta_i has at most nn solutions. Therefore in total we have at most n2nn^2 \cdot n numbers γi\gamma_i such that P(γi)P(\gamma_i) is a root of P(P(x))xP(P(x)) - x. As by assumption this maximum is attained, there are exactly n2n^2 roots βi\beta_i of P(P(x))xP(P(x)) - x and for each βi\beta_i there are exactly nn solutions of P(x)=βiP(x) = \beta_i.

We write P(x)=axnbxn1+P(x)P(x) = a x^n - b x^{n-1} + P'(x) with degP(x)n2\deg P'(x) \le n-2. Note that for every βi\beta_i, we get a subset δ1,δ2,,δn\delta_1, \delta_2, \dots, \delta_n of the roots γ1,,γn3\gamma_1, \dots, \gamma_{n^3} such that P(x)βi=a(xδ1)(xδ2)(xδn)P(x) - \beta_i = a(x - \delta_1)(x - \delta_2) \cdots (x - \delta_n). So axnbxn1+P(x)βi=a(xδ1)(xδ2)(xδn)a x^n - b x^{n-1} + P'(x) - \beta_i = a(x - \delta_1)(x - \delta_2) \cdots (x - \delta_n). Since n2n \ge 2, it follows by Vi\'eta's formulas that the sum δ1+δ2++δn\delta_1 + \delta_2 + \dots + \delta_n of the roots of P(x)βiP(x) - \beta_i equals b/ab/a. We conclude that we have n2n^2 groups of nn roots of Q(x)Q(x) which all have the same arithmetic mean bna\frac{b}{n a}.

\square

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