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Algebra Difficulty 7.7 National olympiad, round 2 Find the answer

For each integer mm, consider the polynomial Pm(x)=x4(2m+4)x2+(m2)2.P_m(x)=x^4-(2m+4)x^2+(m-2)^2. For what values of mm is Pm(x)P_m(x) the product of two non-constant polynomials with integer coefficients?

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

Solution

By the quadratic formula, if Pm(x)=0P_m(x)=0, then x2=m±22m+2x^2=m\pm 2\sqrt{2m}+2, and hence the four roots of PmP_m are given by S={±m±2}S = \{\pm\sqrt{m}\pm\sqrt{2}\}. If PmP_m factors into two nonconstant polynomials over the integers, then some subset of SS consisting of one or two elements form the roots of a polynomial with integer coefficients.

First suppose this subset has a single element, say m±2\sqrt{m} \pm \sqrt{2}; this element must be a rational number. Then (m±2)2=2+m±22m(\sqrt{m} \pm \sqrt{2})^2 = 2 + m \pm 2 \sqrt{2m} is an integer, so mm is twice a perfect square, say m=2n2m = 2n^2. But then m±2=(n±1)2\sqrt{m} \pm \sqrt{2} = (n\pm 1)\sqrt{2} is only rational if n=±1n=\pm 1, i.e., if m=2m = 2.

Next, suppose that the subset contains two elements; then we can take it to be one of {m±2}\{\sqrt{m} \pm \sqrt{2}\}, {2±m}\{\sqrt{2} \pm \sqrt{m}\} or {±(m+2)}\{\pm (\sqrt{m} + \sqrt{2})\}. In all cases, the sum and the product of the elements of the subset must be a rational number. In the first case, this means 2m\QQ2\sqrt{m} \in \QQ, so mm is a perfect square. In the second case, we have 22\QQ2 \sqrt{2} \in \QQ, contradiction. In the third case, we have (m+2)2\QQ(\sqrt{m} + \sqrt{2})^2 \in \QQ, or m+2+22m\QQm + 2 + 2\sqrt{2m} \in \QQ, which means that mm is twice a perfect square.

We conclude that Pm(x)P_m(x) factors into two nonconstant polynomials over the integers if and only if mm is either a square or twice a square.

Note: a more sophisticated interpretation of this argument can be given using Galois theory. Namely, if mm is neither a square nor twice a square, then the number fields \QQ(m)\QQ(\sqrt{m}) and \QQ(2)\QQ(\sqrt{2}) are distinct quadratic fields, so their compositum is a number field of degree 4, whose Galois group acts transitively on {±m±2}\{\pm \sqrt{m} \pm \sqrt{2}\}. Thus PmP_m is irreducible.

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