Determine all polynomials $P(x) \in \mathbb R[x]$ satisfying the following two conditions : (a) $P(2017) = 2016$ and (b) $(P(x) + 1)^2 = P(x^2 + 1)$ for all real numbers $x$. [i]proposed by Walther Janous[/i]

Let $ a$, $ b$, $ c$, $ d$, $ e$, $ f$ be positive integers and let $ S = a+b+c+d+e+f$. Suppose that the number $ S$ divides $ abc+def$ and $ ab+bc+ca-de-ef-df$. Prove that $ S$ is composite.

Let $n$ be a positive integer and $a_1, a_2, \dots , a_{2n}$ mutually distinct integers. Find all integers $x$ satisfying \[(x - a_1) \cdot (x - a_2) \cdots (x - a_{2n}) = (-1)^n(n!)^2.\]

We call a polynomial $P(x)=a_dx^d+...+a_0$ of degree $d$ [i]nice[/i] if $$\frac{2021(|a_d|+...+|a_0|)}{2022}<max_{0 \le i \le d}|a_i|$$ Initially Shayan has a sequence of $d$ distinct real numbers; $r_1,...,r_d \neq \pm 1$. At each step he choose a positive integer $N>1$ and raises the $d$ numbers he has to the exponent of $N$, then delete the previous $d$ numbers and constructs a monic polynomial of degree $d$ with these number as roots, then examine whether it is nice or not. Prove that after some steps, all the polynomials that shayan produces would be nice polynomials Proposed by [i]Navid Safaei[/i]

Consider the polynomial $P(x)=x^3+x^2-x+2$. Determine all real numbers $r$ for which there exists a complex number $z$ not in the reals such that $P(z)=r$.

Does there exist positive reals $a_0, a_1,\ldots ,a_{19}$, such that the polynomial $P(x)=x^{20}+a_{19}x^{19}+\ldots +a_1x+a_0$ does not have any real roots, yet all polynomials formed from swapping any two coefficients $a_i,a_j$ has at least one real root?

Suppose that $g$ and $h$ are polynomials of degree $10$ with integer coefficients such that $g(2) < h(2)$ and \[ g(x) h(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{10} \left( \binom{k+11}{k} x^{20-k} - \binom{21-k}{11} x^{k-1} + \binom{21}{11}x^{k-1} \right) \] holds for all nonzero real numbers $x$. Find $g(2)$. [i]Proposed by Yang Liu[/i]

How many polynomials $P$ with integer coefficients and degree at most $5$ satisfy $0 \le P(x) < 120$ for all $x \in \{0,1,2,3,4,5\}$?

Let the function $f:N^*\to N^*$ such that [b](1)[/b] $(f(m),f(n))\le (m,n)^{2014} , \forall m,n\in N^*$; [b](2)[/b] $n\le f(n)\le n+2014 , \forall n\in N^*$ Show that: there exists the positive integers $N$ such that $ f(n)=n $, for each integer $n \ge N$. (High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University )

Let $a_1,a_2,\ldots a_n,k$, and $M$ be positive integers such that $$\frac{1}{a_1}+\frac{1}{a_2}+\cdots+\frac{1}{a_n}=k\quad\text{and}\quad a_1a_2\cdots a_n=M.$$ If $M>1$, prove that the polynomial $$P(x)=M(x+1)^k-(x+a_1)(x+a_2)\cdots (x+a_n)$$ has no positive roots.

Fix two positive integers $a,k\ge2$, and let $f\in\mathbb{Z}[x]$ be a nonconstant polynomial. Suppose that for all sufficiently large positive integers $n$, there exists a rational number $x$ satisfying $f(x)=f(a^n)^k$. Prove that there exists a polynomial $g\in\mathbb{Q}[x]$ such that $f(g(x))=f(x)^k$ for all real $x$. [i]Victor Wang.[/i]

Let $P_i(x) = x^2 + b_i x + c_i , i = 1,2, ..., n$ be pairwise distinct polynomials of degree $2$ with real coefficients so that for any $0 \le i < j \le n , i, j \in N$, the polynomial $Q_{i,j}(x) = P_i(x) + P_j(x)$ has only one real root. Find the greatest possible value of $n$.

A polynomial $P$ with integer coefficients has at least $13$ distinct integer roots. Prove that if an integer $n$ is not a root of $P$, then $|P(n)| \geq 7 \cdot 6!^2$, and give an example for equality.

Prove that if a quadratic equation $$ ax^2 + bx + c = 0$$ with integer coefficients has a rational root, then at least one of the numbers $ a $, $ b $, $ c $ is even.

Given a quadratic trinomial $p(x)$ with integer coefficients such that $p(x)$ is not divisible by $3$ for all integers $x$. Prove that there exist polynomials $f(x)$ and $h(x)$ with integer coefficients such that $$ p(x)\cdot f(x)+3h(x)=x^6+x^4+x^2+1. $$ [i](I. Gorodnin)[/i]

Polynomial P(x) with integer coefficient is called [i]cube-presented[/i] if it can be represented as sum of several cube of polynomials with integer coefficients. Examples: $3x + 3x^2$ is cube-represented because $3x + 3x^2 = (x + 1)^3 +(-x)^3 + (-1)^3$. a) Is $3x^2$ a cube-represented polynomial? b). How many quadratic polynomial P(x) with integer coefficients belong to the set $\{1,2, 3, ...,2017\}$ which is cube-represented?

Find all homogeneous linear recursive sequences such that there is a $ T$ such that $ a_n\equal{}a_{n\plus{}T}$ for each $ n$.

The polynomials $k_n(x_1, \ldots, x_n)$, where $n$ is a non-negative integer, satisfy the following conditions \[k_0=1\] \[k_1(x_1)=x_1\] \[k_n(x_1, \ldots, x_n) = x_nk_{n-1}(x_1, \ldots , x_{n-1}) + (x_n^2+x_{n-1}^2)k_{n-2}(x_1,\ldots,x_{n-2})\] Prove that for each non-negative $n$ we have $k_n(x_1,\ldots,x_n)=k_n(x_n,\ldots,x_1)$.

Let $a,b,c,d >0$ and $abcd=1$. Prove that: \[ \frac{1}{(1+a)^2}+\frac{1}{(1+b)^2}+\frac{1}{(1+c)^2}+\frac{1}{(1+d)^2} \geq 1 \]

What is the sum of the solutions to the equation $\sqrt[4]x =\displaystyle \frac{12}{7-\sqrt[4]x}$?

Today was the 5th Kettering Olympiad - and here are the problems, which are very good intermediate problems. 1. Find all real $x$ so that $(1+x^2)(1+x^4)=4x^3$ 2. Mark and John play a game. They have $100$ pebbles on a table. They take turns taking at least one at at most eight pebbles away. The person to claim the last pebble wins. Mark goes first. Can you find a way for Mark to always win? What about John? 3. Prove that $\sin x + \sin 3x + \sin 5x + ... + \sin 11 x = (1-\cos 12 x)/(2 \sin x)$ 4. Mark has $7$ pieces of paper. He takes some of them and splits each into $7$ pieces of paper. He repeats this process some number of times. He then tells John he has $2000$ pieces of paper. John tells him he is wrong. Why is John right? 5. In a triangle $ABC$, the altitude, angle bisector, and median split angle $A$ into four equal angles. Find the angles of $ABC.$ 6. There are $100$ cities. There exist airlines connecting pairs of cities. a) Find the minimal number of airlines such that with at most $k$ plane changes, one can go from any city to any other city. b) Given that there are $4852$ airlines, show that, given any schematic, one can go from any city to any other city.

Let $P(x)$ be a polynomial of degree $n$ with real coefficients and let $a\geq 3$. Prove that \[\max_{0\leq j \leq n+1}\left | a^j-P(j) \right |\geq 1\]

Let $P(x)$ be a quadratic polynomial with two distinct real roots. For all real numbers $a$ and $b$ satisfying $|a|,|b| \ge 2017$, we have $P(a^2+b^2) \ge P(2ab)$. Show that at least one of the roots of $P$ is negative.

Prove that for all natural $ m$, $ n$ polynomial $ \sum_{i \equal{} 0}^{m}\binom{n\plus{}i}{n}\cdot x^i$ has at most one real root.

A polynomial $f (x)$ with real coefficients is called [i]completely reducible[/i] if it is a product of at least two non-constant polynomials whose coefficientsare all nonnegative real numbers. Show: If $f (x^{2011})$ is completely reducible, then $f(x)$ is also.