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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 degP(x)=m\deg P(x) = m there exists a polynomial Q(x)Q(x) with real coefficients and degQ(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 QR[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 nNn \in \mathbb{N} consider Q(x)=(xa)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+(xa))≢(xa)P(x)-a = (P(x)-x+(x-a)) \not\equiv (x-a). Hence (P(x)a)n≢(xa)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 xRx \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(xc)i=1k(xai)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, caic \ge a_i for all i=1,2,...,ki = 1, 2, ..., k, b0b \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>cai0P(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)=(xa)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)=(xz)(xzˉ)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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