This website contains problems from math contests. Problems and corresponding tags were obtained from the Art of Problem Solving website.

Tags were heavily modified to better represent problems.

AND
OR
NO

Found problems: 3597

Susana and Brenda play a game writing polynomials on the board. Susana starts and they play taking turns. 1) On the preparatory turn (turn 0), Susana choose a positive integer $n_0$ and writes the polynomial $P_0(x)=n_0$. 2) On turn 1, Brenda choose a positive integer $n_1$, different from $n_0$, and either writes the polynomial $$P_1(x)=n_1x+P_0(x) \textup{ or } P_1(x)=n_1x-P_0(x)$$ 3) In general, on turn $k$, the respective player chooses an integer $n_k$, different from $n_0, n_1, \ldots, n_{k-1}$, and either writes the polynomial $$P_k(x)=n_kx^k+P_{k-1}(x) \textup{ or } P_k(x)=n_kx^k-P_{k-1}(x)$$ The first player to write a polynomial with at least one whole whole number root wins. Find and describe a winning strategy.
Find a method by which one can compute the coefficients of $P(x) = x^6 + a_1x^5 + \cdots+ a_6$ from the roots of $P(x) = 0$ by performing not more than $15$ additions and $15$ multiplications.
Prove that if $f(x)$ is a polynomial with integer coefficients and there exists an integer $k$ such that none of $f(1),\ldots,f(k)$ is divisible by $k$, then $f(x)$ has no integral root.
The polynomials $ P(x)$ and $ Q(x)$ are given. It is known that for a certain polynomial $ R(x, y)$ the identity $ P(x) \minus{} P(y) \equal{} R(x, y) (Q(x) \minus{} Q(y))$ applies. Prove that there is a polynomial $ S(x)$ so that $ P(x) \equal{} S(Q(x)) \quad \forall x.$
Prove that for all polynomials $P \in \mathbb{R}[x]$ and positive integers $n$, $P(x)-x$ divides $P^n(x)-x$ as polynomials.
Let $F$ be the set of all polynomials $\Gamma$ such that all the coefficients of $\Gamma (x)$ are integers and $\Gamma (x) = 1$ has integer roots. Given a positive intger $k$, find the smallest integer $m(k) > 1$ such that there exist $\Gamma \in F$ for which $\Gamma (x) = m(k)$ has exactly $k$ distinct integer roots.
For any set $A=\{a_1,a_2,\cdots,a_m\}$, let $P(A)=a_1a_2\cdots a_m$. Let $n={2010\choose99}$, and let $A_1, A_2,\cdots,A_n$ be all $99$-element subsets of $\{1,2,\cdots,2010\}$. Prove that $2010|\sum^{n}_{i=1}P(A_i)$.
Let $ \mathbb{Z}$ be the ring of rational integers. Construct an integral domain $ I$ satisfying the following conditions: a)$ \mathbb{Z} \varsubsetneqq I$; b) no element of $ I \minus{} \mathbb{Z}$ (only in $ I$) is algebraic over $ \mathbb{Z}$ (that is, not a root of a polynomial with coefficients in $ \mathbb{Z}$); c) $ I$ only has trivial endomorphisms. [i]E. Fried[/i]
Determine all the integers $a$ and $b$, such that $\sqrt{2010 + 2 \sqrt{2009}}$ be a solution of the equation $x^2 + ax + b = 0$. Prove that for such $a$ and $b$ the number$\sqrt{2010 - 2 \sqrt{2009}}$ is not a solution to the given equation.
Let $ f, g$ and $ a$ be polynomials with real coefficients, $ f$ and $ g$ in one variable and $ a$ in two variables. Suppose \[ f(x) \minus{} f(y) \equal{} a(x, y)(g(x) \minus{} g(y)) \forall x,y \in \mathbb{R}\] Prove that there exists a polynomial $ h$ with $ f(x) \equal{} h(g(x)) \text{ } \forall x \in \mathbb{R}.$
Compute the value of the expression \[ 2009^4 \minus{} 4 \times 2007^4 \plus{} 6 \times 2005^4 \minus{} 4 \times 2003^4 \plus{} 2001^4 \, .\]
Let $P(x) = x^3 + ax^2 + bx + 1$ be a polynomial with real coefficients and three real roots $\rho_1$, $\rho_2$, $\rho_3$ such that $|\rho_1| < |\rho_2| < |\rho_3|$. Let $A$ be the point where the graph of $P(x)$ intersects $yy'$ and the point $B(\rho_1, 0)$, $C(\rho_2, 0)$, $D(\rho_3, 0)$. If the circumcircle of $\vartriangle ABD$ intersects $yy'$ for a second time at $E$, find the minimum value of the length of the segment $EC$ and the polynomials for which this is attained. [i]Brazitikos Silouanos, Greece[/i]
Let $\, P(z) \,$ be a polynomial with complex coefficients which is of degree $\, 1992 \,$ and has distinct zeros. Prove that there exist complex numbers $\, a_1, a_2, \ldots, a_{1992} \,$ such that $\, P(z) \,$ divides the polynomial \[ \left( \cdots \left( (z-a_1)^2 - a_2 \right)^2 \cdots - a_{1991} \right)^2 - a_{1992}. \]
Find all real numbers $ a,b,c,d$ such that \[ \left\{\begin{array}{cc}a \plus{} b \plus{} c \plus{} d \equal{} 20, \\ ab \plus{} ac \plus{} ad \plus{} bc \plus{} bd \plus{} cd \equal{} 150. \end{array} \right.\]
Let $ x_1,x_2,x_3$ be the roots of: $ x^3\minus{}6x^2\plus{}ax\plus{}a\equal{}0$. Find all real numbers $ a$ for which $ (x_1\minus{}1)^3\plus{}(x_2\minus{}1)^3\plus{}(x_3\minus{}1)^3\equal{}0$. Also, for each such $ a$, determine the corresponding values of $ x_1,x_2,$ and $ x_3$.
Let $m_{1},m_{2},...,m_{n}$ be mutually distinct integers. Prove that there exists a $f(x)\in\mathbb{Z}[x]$ of degree $n$ satisfying the following two conditions: a)$f(m_{i})=-1\forall i=1,2,...,n$. b)$f(x)$ is irreducible.
Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $k_0,k_1, \dots,k_{2n}$ be nonzero integers such that $k_0+k_1 +\dots+k_{2n}\neq 0$. Is it always possible to a permutation $(a_0,a_1,\dots,a_{2n})$ of $(k_0,k_1,\dots,k_{2n})$ so that the equation \begin{align*} a_{2n}x^{2n}+a_{2n-1}x^{2n-1}+\dots+a_0=0 \end{align*} has not integer roots?
Let $ y_0$ be chosen randomly from $ \{0, 50\}$, let $ y_1$ be chosen randomly from $ \{40, 60, 80\}$, let $ y_2$ be chosen randomly from $ \{10, 40, 70, 80\}$, and let $ y_3$ be chosen randomly from $ \{10, 30, 40, 70, 90\}$. (In each choice, the possible outcomes are equally likely to occur.) Let $ P$ be the unique polynomial of degree less than or equal to $ 3$ such that $ P(0) \equal{} y_0$, $ P(1) \equal{} y_1$, $ P(2) \equal{} y_2$, and $ P(3) \equal{} y_3$. What is the expected value of $ P(4)$?
Let $ f(x)\equal{}a_{2n}x^{2n}\plus{}a_{2n\minus{}1}x^{2n\minus{}1}\plus{}\cdots\plus{}a_1x\plus{}a_0$, with $ a_i\equal{}a_{2n\minus{}1}$ for all $ i\equal{}1,2,\ldots,n$ and $ a_{2n}\ne0$. Prove that there exists a polynomial $ g(x)$ of degree $ n$ such that $ g\left(x\plus{}\frac1x\right)x^n\equal{}f(x)$.
The sequences $a_n$, $b_n$ and $c_n$ are defined recursively in the following way: $a_0 = 1/6$, $b_0 = 1/2$, $c_0 = 1/3,$ $$a_{n+1}= \frac{(a_n + b_n)(a_n + c_n)}{(a_n - b_n)(a_n - c_n)},\,\, b_{n+1}= \frac{(b_n + a_n)(b_n + c_n)}{(b_n - a_n)(b_n - c_n)},\,\, c_{n+1}= \frac{(c_n + a_n)(c_n + b_n)}{(c_n - a_n)(c_n - b_n)}$$ For each natural number $N$, the following polynomials are defined: $A_n(x) =a_o+a_1 x+ ...+ a_{2N}x^{2N}$ $B_n(x) =b_o+a_1 x+ ...+ a_{2N}x^{2N}$ $C_n(x) =a_o+a_1 x+ ...+ a_{2N}x^{2N}$ Assume the sequences are well defined. Show that there is no real $c$ such that $A_N(c) = B_N(c) = C_N(c) = 0$.
Let $ n>m>1$ be odd integers, let $ f(x)\equal{}x^n\plus{}x^m\plus{}x\plus{}1$. Prove that $ f(x)$ can't be expressed as the product of two polynomials having integer coefficients and positive degrees.
Find all reals $\lambda$ for which there is a nonzero polynomial $P$ with real coefficients such that $$\frac{P(1)+P(3)+P(5)+\ldots+P(2n-1)}n=\lambda P(n)$$for all positive integers $n$, and find all such polynomials for $\lambda=2$.
Find all polynomials $P(x)$ with real coefficients such that for all pairwise distinct positive integers $x, y, z, t$ with $x^2 + y^2 + z^2 = 2t^2$ and $\gcd(x, y, z, t ) = 1,$ the following equality holds \[2P^2(t ) + 2P(xy + yz + zx) = P^2(x + y + z) .\] [b]Note.[/b] $P^2(k)=\left( P(k) \right)^2.$
Find all two-variable polynomials $p(x,y)$ such that for each $a,b,c\in\mathbb R$: \[p(ab,c^2+1)+p(bc,a^2+1)+p(ca,b^2+1)=0\]
Let $f_n$ be a polynomial with real coefficients for all $n \in \mathbb{Z}$. Suppose that \[f_n(k) = f_{n+k}(k) \quad n, k \in \mathbb{Z}.\] (a) Does $f_n = f_m$ necessarily hold for all $m,n \in \mathbb{Z}$? (b) If furthermore $f_n$ is a polynomial with integer coefficients for all $n \in\mathbb{Z}$, does $f_n = f_m$ necessarily hold for all $m, n \in\mathbb{Z}$? [i]Proposed by usjl[/i]