We have x12+1=(x4+1)(x8−x4+1). It is easy to check that these two factors are irreducible in Z[x] (or equivalently in Q[x]). On the other hand, P3+Q3=(P+Q)(P2−PQ+Q2). Therefore, our goal is to find P and Q such that (P+Q)(P2−PQ+Q2)=(x4+1)(x8−x4+1). Irreducibility of x4+1 and x8−x4+1 imply
* x4+1 divides P+Q or P2−PQ+Q2.
* x8−x4+1 divides P+Q or P2−PQ+Q2.
So we have four cases
* P+Q=1 and P2−PQ+Q2=x12+1.
1−3PQ=(P+Q)2−3PQ=P2−PQ+Q2=1+x12⇒3P(1−P)=−x12
So zero is the unique root of both P and 1−P which is impossible.
* P+Q=x12+1 and P2−PQ+Q2=1. Same as the previous part, we get 3PQ=x12(x12+2). So P(0)=0 or Q(0)=0, but at most one of them can be zero because P+Q=x12+1. Because of symmetry we assume that P is divisible by x12. Now since 3PQ=x12(x12+2), we conclude deg(Q)≤12. If deg(Q)<12, then degree of P must be greater than 12 and so we cannot have P+Q=x12+1. Therefore, deg(P)=deg(Q)=12. Hence, there must be rational numbers a and b such that P(x)=ax12 and Q(x)=b(x12+2). So P+Q=(a+b)x12+2b=x12+1. Thus, a=b=21. This is not possible because 3PQ=3abx12(x12+2)=43x12(x12+2)=x12(x12+2). Hence, there is no solution in this case.
* P+Q=x8−x4+1 and P2−PQ+Q2=x4+1. In this case we have 3PQ=x4(x12−2x8+3x4−3) and by arguments similar to the previous part, we deduce that deg(P)=deg(Q)=8. Let p and q be the leading coefficients of P and Q, respectively. We have
P+Q3PQ=x8−x4+1=x4(x12−2x8+3x4−3)⇒p+q⇒pq=1=31
But 4pq=34>1=(p+q)2 and so p and q are not real numbers. Thus, we do not have any solutions in this case.
* P+Q=x4+1 and P2−PQ+Q2=x8−x4+1. We get PQ=x4. Note that again we cannot have P(0)=Q(0)=0, because P(0)+Q(0)=1. So we can assume that for example P is divisible by x4 and so Q is a constant polynomial. Suppose that P(x)=px4 and Q(x)=q (p,q∈Q). Now since P+Q=px4+q=x4+1 we get p=q=1. This leads to the solution P(x)=x4 and Q(x)=1. P(x)=1 and Q(x)=x4 is another solution.