Problem:
Find all nonzero polynomials with integer coefficients that satisfy the following property: whenever and are relatively prime integers, then and are relatively prime as well. Prove that your answer is correct. (Two integers are relatively prime if they have no common prime factors. For example, and are relatively prime, while and are not relatively prime.)
Solution
Solution:
Answer: for each integer .
It is evident that these polynomials meet the condition, since the only possible prime factors of are the prime factors of , so if , have no prime factors in common, , can't either.
Consider any polynomial not of this form; we show that it does not meet the condition. Write
Replacing by if necessary, we may assume .
Suppose that and the next nonzero coefficient is negative. Then we have for all large enough . In all other cases, we have for all large enough . In either situation, if we choose to be a large enough prime, then is a positive integer lying between two consecutive powers of . In particular, cannot itself be a power of , so it must have some other prime factor .
Then the numbers and are relatively prime. But since
both and are divisible by , so they are not relatively prime. Hence, the polynomial does not satisfy the required condition.