We firstly prove that there exists an index i such that degPi(x)=degP(x) and P(x)=Pi(y) for infinitely many x,y∈N.
Assume to the contrary. Let the degree of Pt+1(x),…,Pn(x) be equal to degP(x) and degPi(x)>degP(x) for all i∈{1,2,…,t}.
Consider a sufficiently large N0 such that:
1) P(x) is increasing for all real numbers x>N0.
2) P(x)=Pi(y) for all positive integers t+1≤i≤n and x,y.
3) Pi(x)>P(kx) for all positive integers 1≤i≤t, all real numbers x>N0, and a fixed number k>t.
4) Pi(x) is increasing for all positive integers 1≤i≤t and every x>N0.
Then, let's assume that
P(N0+1)<⋯<P(kN0).
We know every one of them is in the form of Pi(y). Where 1≤i≤t and y is a natural number.
If we have P(N0+i)=Pj(xi) for some j, then we have xi≤N0. So, we at most have N0 numbers in form of Pj(y) between P(N0+1),…,P(kN0). Therefore, we at most have tN0 numbers between them. And since k>t, it gives us a contradiction.
So we must have an index i such that the equation P(x)=Pi(y) has infinitely many solutions and degPi(x)=degP(x). We want to prove that if P(x)=Pi(y), then ∣x−y∣ has a fixed upper bound.
Without loss of generality, assume that the leading coefficient of P(x)−Pi(x) is positive. Then, assume a sufficiently large N1 such that P(x),Pi(x) and P(x)−Pi(x) are increasing for all real numbers x>N1. Then, if x,y>N1, P(x)=Pi(y), we have x≥y since P(x)≥Pi(x)≥Pi(y). If we take a sufficiently large x we can find out that y becomes large as well. Then if
P(x)=xd+ad−1xd−1+⋯+a0d≥2,
Pi(x)=xd+bd−1xd−1+⋯+b0,
then,
xd−yd⟹∣xd−yd∣⟹xd−1+yd−1∣xd−yd∣=bd−1yd−1+⋯+b0−(ad−1xd−1+⋯+a0)≤ci=1∑d−1∣x∣i+∣y∣i≤cd(xd−1−yd−1)=xd−1+yd−1xd−yd≤cd.
And we have
x−y≤xd−1+yd−1xd−yd≤cd.
So, x−y≤cd. Therefore, there exists a number k such that x−y=k for infinitely many times.
Then we get P(x)=Pi(x−k) for infinitely many x and we're done.
The case that degP(x)=1 is trivial and if P(x)−Pi(x)=c, then we'll have P(x)=Pi(y) and Pi(y)−Pi(x)=c. Consider sufficiently large x,y such that Pi(x) is increasing. If x=y,
Pi(y)≥Pi(x+1)⟹Pi(x+1)−Pi(x)≤c
for infinitely many x. So, Pi(x) should be linear and we're done. ■