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Belarusian Mathematical Olympiad

Algebra Difficulty 6.5 National Olympiad Prove it Belarus

Find all pairs (m,n)(m, n) of positive integers mm and nn such that for all polynomial P(x)P(x) with real coefficients and deg⁡P(x)=m\deg P(x) = m there exists a polynomial Q(x)Q(x) with real coefficients and deg⁡Q(x)=n\deg Q(x) = n such that Q(P(x))Q(P(x)) is divisible by Q(x)Q(x).
(A. Mirotin, S. Mazanik, I. Voronovich)

Solution

Answer: all (m,n)(m, n) with odd mm and arbitrary nn; or (m,n)(m, n) with even mm and even nn.
(Solution of A. Zhuk.)

1. Let mm be odd. Show that any positive nn is appropriate.
Indeed, if P(x)≡xP(x) \equiv x, then Q(P(x))≢Q(x)Q(P(x)) \not\equiv Q(x) for any Q∈R[x]Q \in \mathbb{R}[x].
If P(x)≢xP(x) \not\equiv x, then P(x)−xP(x) - x is a polynomial of odd degree, hence it has a real root, say, aa. Then for any n∈Nn \in \mathbb{N} consider Q(x)=(x−a)nQ(x) = (x-a)^n. We have Q(P(x))=(P(x)−a)nQ(P(x)) = (P(x)-a)^n. Note that P(x)−a=(P(x)−x+(x−a))≢(x−a)P(x)-a = (P(x)-x+(x-a)) \not\equiv (x-a). Hence (P(x)−a)n≢(x−a)n=Q(x)(P(x)-a)^n \not\equiv (x-a)^n = Q(x), as we need.

2. Now, let mm be even. First, show that nn cannot be odd. Set, for example, P(x)=xm+x+1P(x) = x^m + x + 1. Then P(x)−x>0P(x) - x > 0 for any x∈Rx \in \mathbb{R}. If nn is odd, then Q(x)Q(x) has real roots. Let cc be the largest real root of QQ. That is
Q(x)=b(x−c)∏i=1k(x−ai)⋅∏j=1lqj(x), Q(x) = b(x-c) \prod_{i=1}^{k} (x-a_i) \cdot \prod_{j=1}^{l} q_j(x),
where all qj(x)q_j(x) are monic quadratic polynomials with negative discriminants, c≥aic \ge a_i for all i=1,2,...,ki = 1, 2, ..., k, b≠0b \ne 0.
Then
Q(P(c))=b(P(c)−c)∏i=1k(P(c)−ai)⋅∏j=1lqj(P(c)). Q(P(c)) = b(P(c)-c) \prod_{i=1}^{k} (P(c)-a_i) \cdot \prod_{j=1}^{l} q_j(P(c)).
Note that P(c)−c>0P(c)-c > 0, P(c)−ai>c−ai≥0P(c)-a_i > c-a_i \ge 0, (∀i=1,...,k)(\forall i = 1, ..., k), qj(P(c))>0q_j(P(c)) > 0 (∀j=1,...,l)(\forall j = 1, ..., l), that is Q(P(c))≠0Q(P(c)) \ne 0. Hence, cc is not a root of Q(P(x))Q(P(x)), so Q(P(x))≢Q(x)Q(P(x)) \not\equiv Q(x).

Let now both mm and nn be even, n=2kn = 2k.
If P(x)−xP(x) - x has a real root aa, then, as above, we set Q(x)=(x−a)nQ(x) = (x-a)^n, and we are done.
Let P(x)−xP(x) - x has no real roots. Let zz and zˉ\bar{z} be any complex-conjugate roots of P(x)P(x), that is P(x)−xP(x) - x is divisible by p(x)=(x−z)(x−zˉ)∈R[x]p(x) = (x-z)(x-\bar{z}) \in \mathbb{R}[x]. Set Q(x)=(p(x))kQ(x) = (p(x))^k. Then Q(P(x))=(p(P(x)))kQ(P(x)) = (p(P(x)))^k. It suffices to prove that p(P(x)):p(x)p(P(x)) : p(x). Note that p(P(x))=p(P(x))−p(x)+p(x)p(P(x)) = p(P(x)) - p(x) + p(x) and
(p(P(x))−p(x)):(P(x)−x):p(x). (p(P(x)) - p(x)) : (P(x) - x) : p(x).
Therefore,
Q(P(x))=(p(P(x)))k:(p(x))k=Q(x). Q(P(x)) = (p(P(x)))^k : (p(x))^k = Q(x).

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