Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 6.5 National olympiad Find the answer

Consider a polynomial P(x,y,z)P(x,y,z) in three variables with integer coefficients such that for any real numbers a,b,c,a,b,c, P(a,b,c)=0a=b=c.P(a,b,c)=0 \Leftrightarrow a=b=c.
Find the largest integer rr such that for all such polynomials P(x,y,z)P(x,y,z) and integers m,n,m,n, mrP(n,n+m,n+2m).m^r\mid P(n,n+m,n+2m).

*Proposed by Ma Zhao Yu

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

1. Understanding the problem: We need to find the largest integer r r such that for any polynomial P(x,y,z) P(x,y,z) with integer coefficients satisfying P(a,b,c)=0a=b=c P(a,b,c) = 0 \Leftrightarrow a = b = c , the expression mr m^r divides P(n,n+m,n+2m) P(n, n+m, n+2m) for all integers m m and n n .

2. Analyzing a specific polynomial: Consider the polynomial P(x,y,z)=(xy)2+(yz)2 P(x,y,z) = (x-y)^2 + (y-z)^2 . This polynomial satisfies P(a,b,c)=0a=b=c P(a,b,c) = 0 \Leftrightarrow a = b = c .

3. Evaluating the polynomial at specific points: Evaluate P(x,y,z) P(x,y,z) at (x,y,z)=(n,n+m,n+2m) (x,y,z) = (n, n+m, n+2m) :
P(n,n+m,n+2m)=(n(n+m))2+((n+m)(n+2m))2=(m)2+(m)2=m2+m2=2m2 P(n, n+m, n+2m) = (n - (n+m))^2 + ((n+m) - (n+2m))^2 = (-m)^2 + (-m)^2 = m^2 + m^2 = 2m^2
This shows that 2m2 2m^2 is always divisible by m2 m^2 , implying r2 r \leq 2 .

4. Generalizing the result: To show that m2 m^2 always divides P(n,n+m,n+2m) P(n, n+m, n+2m) for any polynomial P(x,y,z) P(x,y,z) satisfying the given condition, consider the polynomial Q(t)=P(n,n+t,n+2t) Q(t) = P(n, n+t, n+2t) for any fixed n n .

5. **Properties of Q(t) Q(t) **: The polynomial Q(t) Q(t) has exactly one root at t=0 t = 0 because P(n,n,n)=0 P(n, n, n) = 0 . Since P(a,b,c)=0a=b=c P(a,b,c) = 0 \Leftrightarrow a = b = c , t=0 t = 0 is the only root of Q(t) Q(t) .

6. Multiplicity of the root: Since Q(t) Q(t) is a polynomial with integer coefficients and t=0 t = 0 is its only root, the root must have a multiplicity of at least 2. This is because if the root had a multiplicity of 1, Q(t) Q(t) would change sign around t=0 t = 0 , contradicting the condition that P(a,b,c)=0a=b=c P(a,b,c) = 0 \Leftrightarrow a = b = c .

7. **Divisibility by t2 t^2 **: Therefore, t2 t^2 divides Q(t) Q(t) , implying m2 m^2 divides Q(m)=P(n,n+m,n+2m) Q(m) = P(n, n+m, n+2m) .

8. Conclusion: Since m2 m^2 always divides P(n,n+m,n+2m) P(n, n+m, n+2m) for any polynomial P(x,y,z) P(x,y,z) satisfying the given condition, the largest integer r r is 2.

The final answer is r=2 \boxed{ r = 2 } .

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.