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

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Found problems: 3597

2018 APMO, 5

Find all polynomials $P(x)$ with integer coefficients such that for all real numbers $s$ and $t$, if $P(s)$ and $P(t)$ are both integers, then $P(st)$ is also an integer.

2008 IberoAmerican, 3

Let $ P(x) \equal{} x^3 \plus{} mx \plus{} n$ be an integer polynomial satisfying that if $ P(x) \minus{} P(y)$ is divisible by 107, then $ x \minus{} y$ is divisible by 107 as well, where $ x$ and $ y$ are integers. Prove that 107 divides $ m$.

2011 IFYM, Sozopol, 6

Define a sequence {$a_n$}$^{\infty}_{n=1}$ by $a_1 = 4, a_2 = a_3 = (a^2 - 2)^2$ and $a_n = a_{n-1}.a_{n-2} - 2(a_{n-1} + a_{n-2}) - a_{n-3} + 8, n \ge 4$, where $a > 2$ is a natural number. Prove that for all $n$ the number $2 + \sqrt{a_n}$ is a perfect square.

2002 India IMO Training Camp, 17

Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $(1+iT)^n=f(T)+ig(T)$ where $i$ is the square root of $-1$, and $f$ and $g$ are polynomials with real coefficients. Show that for any real number $k$ the equation $f(T)+kg(T)=0$ has only real roots.

2019 Belarusian National Olympiad, 10.5

Find all non-constant polynomials $P(x)$ and $Q(x)$ with real coefficients satisfying the equality $P(Q(x))=P(x)Q(x)-P(x)$. [i](I. Voronovich)[/i]

2007 Germany Team Selection Test, 2

Let $ S$ be a finite set of points in the plane such that no three of them are on a line. For each convex polygon $ P$ whose vertices are in $ S$, let $ a(P)$ be the number of vertices of $ P$, and let $ b(P)$ be the number of points of $ S$ which are outside $ P$. A line segment, a point, and the empty set are considered as convex polygons of $ 2$, $ 1$, and $ 0$ vertices respectively. Prove that for every real number $ x$ \[\sum_{P}{x^{a(P)}(1 \minus{} x)^{b(P)}} \equal{} 1,\] where the sum is taken over all convex polygons with vertices in $ S$. [i]Alternative formulation[/i]: Let $ M$ be a finite point set in the plane and no three points are collinear. A subset $ A$ of $ M$ will be called round if its elements is the set of vertices of a convex $ A \minus{}$gon $ V(A).$ For each round subset let $ r(A)$ be the number of points from $ M$ which are exterior from the convex $ A \minus{}$gon $ V(A).$ Subsets with $ 0,1$ and 2 elements are always round, its corresponding polygons are the empty set, a point or a segment, respectively (for which all other points that are not vertices of the polygon are exterior). For each round subset $ A$ of $ M$ construct the polynomial \[ P_A(x) \equal{} x^{|A|}(1 \minus{} x)^{r(A)}. \] Show that the sum of polynomials for all round subsets is exactly the polynomial $ P(x) \equal{} 1.$ [i]Proposed by Federico Ardila, Colombia[/i]

2017 Iran Team Selection Test, 4

A $n+1$-tuple $\left(h_1,h_2, \cdots, h_{n+1}\right)$ where $h_i\left(x_1,x_2, \cdots , x_n\right)$ are $n$ variable polynomials with real coefficients is called [i]good[/i] if the following condition holds: For any $n$ functions $f_1,f_2, \cdots ,f_n : \mathbb R \to \mathbb R$ if for all $1 \le i \le n+1$, $P_i(x)=h_i \left(f_1(x),f_2(x), \cdots, f_n(x) \right)$ is a polynomial with variable $x$, then $f_1(x),f_2(x), \cdots, f_n(x)$ are polynomials. $a)$ Prove that for all positive integers $n$, there exists a [i]good[/i] $n+1$-tuple $\left(h_1,h_2, \cdots, h_{n+1}\right)$ such that the degree of all $h_i$ is more than $1$. $b)$ Prove that there doesn't exist any integer $n>1$ that for which there is a [i]good[/i] $n+1$-tuple $\left(h_1,h_2, \cdots, h_{n+1}\right)$ such that all $h_i$ are symmetric polynomials. [i]Proposed by Alireza Shavali[/i]

1969 IMO Shortlist, 14

$(CZS 3)$ Let $a$ and $b$ be two positive real numbers. If $x$ is a real solution of the equation $x^2 + px + q = 0$ with real coefficients $p$ and $q$ such that $|p| \le a, |q| \le b,$ prove that $|x| \le \frac{1}{2}(a +\sqrt{a^2 + 4b})$ Conversely, if $x$ satisfies the above inequality, prove that there exist real numbers $p$ and $q$ with $|p|\le a, |q|\le b$ such that $x$ is one of the roots of the equation $x^2+px+ q = 0.$

2004 Kazakhstan National Olympiad, 5

Let $ P (x) $ be a polynomial with real coefficients such that $ P (x)> 0 $ for all $ x \geq 0 $. Prove that there is a positive integer $ n $ such that $ (1 + x) ^ n P (x) $ polynomial with nonnegative coefficients.

2017 Bulgaria National Olympiad, 5

Let $n$ be a natural number and $f(x)$ be a polynomial with real coefficients having $n$ different positive real roots. Is it possible the polynomial: $$x(x+1)(x+2)(x+4)f(x)+a$$ to be presented as the $k$-th power of a polynomial with real coefficients, for some natural $k\geq 2$ and real $a$?

1991 IMO Shortlist, 21

Let $ f(x)$ be a monic polynomial of degree $ 1991$ with integer coefficients. Define $ g(x) \equal{} f^2(x) \minus{} 9.$ Show that the number of distinct integer solutions of $ g(x) \equal{} 0$ cannot exceed $ 1995.$

2006 Pre-Preparation Course Examination, 2

a) Show that you can divide an angle $\theta$ to three equal parts using compass and ruler if and only if the polynomial $4t^3-3t-\cos (\theta)$ is reducible over $\mathbb{Q}(\cos (\theta))$. b) Is it always possible to divide an angle into five equal parts?

1989 IMO Longlists, 7

Prove that $ \forall n > 1, n \in \mathbb{N}$ the equation \[ \sum^n_{k\equal{}1} \frac{x^k}{k!} \plus{} 1 \equal{} 0\] has no rational roots.

1971 IMO Longlists, 5

Consider a sequence of polynomials $P_0(x), P_1(x), P_2(x), \ldots, P_n(x), \ldots$, where $P_0(x) = 2, P_1(x) = x$ and for every $n \geq 1$ the following equality holds: \[P_{n+1}(x) + P_{n-1}(x) = xP_n(x).\] Prove that there exist three real numbers $a, b, c$ such that for all $n \geq 1,$ \[(x^2 - 4)[P_n^2(x) - 4] = [aP_{n+1}(x) + bP_n(x) + cP_{n-1}(x)]^2.\]

2007 Moldova Team Selection Test, 2

Find all polynomials $f\in \mathbb{Z}[X]$ such that if $p$ is prime then $f(p)$ is also prime.

1959 AMC 12/AHSME, 44

The roots of $x^2+bx+c=0$ are both real and greater than $1$. Let $s=b+c+1$. Then $s:$ $ \textbf{(A)}\ \text{may be less than zero}\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ \text{may be equal to zero}\qquad$ $\textbf{(C)}\ \text{must be greater than zero}\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ \text{must be less than zero}\qquad $ $\textbf{(E)}\text{ must be between -1 and +1} $

2023 India National Olympiad, 2

Suppose $a_0,\ldots, a_{100}$ are positive reals. Consider the following polynomial for each $k$ in $\{0,1,\ldots, 100\}$: $$a_{100+k}x^{100}+100a_{99+k}x^{99}+a_{98+k}x^{98}+a_{97+k}x^{97}+\dots+a_{2+k}x^2+a_{1+k}x+a_k,$$where indices are taken modulo $101$, [i]i.e.[/i], $a_{100+i}=a_{i-1}$ for any $i$ in $\{1,2,\dots, 100\}$. Show that it is impossible that each of these $101$ polynomials has all its roots real. [i]Proposed by Prithwijit De[/i]

2019 Moldova Team Selection Test, 9

Find all polynomials $P(X)$ with real coefficients such that if real numbers $x,y$ and $z$ satisfy $x+y+z=0,$ then the points $\left(x,P(x)\right), \left(y,P(y)\right), \left(z,P(z)\right)$ are all colinear.

1984 Miklós Schweitzer, 7

[b]7.[/b] Let $V$ be a finite-dimensional subspace of $C[0,1]$ such that every nonzero $f\in V$ attains positive value at some point. Prove that there exists a polynomial $P$ that is strictly positive on $[0,1]$ and orthogonal to $V$, that is, for every $f \in V$, $\int_{0}^{1} f(x)P(x)dx =0$ ([b]F.39[/b]) [A. Pinkus, V. Totik]

2010 Today's Calculation Of Integral, 650

Find the values of $p,\ q,\ r\ (-1<p<q<r<1)$ such that for any polynomials with degree$\leq 2$, the following equation holds: \[\int_{-1}^p f(x)\ dx-\int_p^q f(x)\ dx+\int_q^r f(x)\ dx-\int_r^1 f(x)\ dx=0.\] [i]1995 Hitotsubashi University entrance exam/Law, Economics etc.[/i]

2007 Irish Math Olympiad, 1

Let $ r,s,$ and $ t$ be the roots of the cubic polynomial: $ p(x)\equal{}x^3\minus{}2007x\plus{}2002.$ Determine the value of: $ \frac{r\minus{}1}{r\plus{}1}\plus{}\frac{s\minus{}1}{s\plus{}1}\plus{}\frac{t\minus{}1}{t\plus{}1}$.

MathLinks Contest 1st, 2

Let a be a non-zero integer, and $n \ge 3$ another integer. Prove that the following polynomial is irreducible in the ring of integer polynomials (i.e. it cannot be written as a product of two non-constant integer polynomials): $$f(x) = x^n + ax^{n-1} + ax^{n-2} +... + ax -1$$

2016 CentroAmerican, 3

Tags: algebra , polynomial , root
The polynomial $Q(x)=x^3-21x+35$ has three different real roots. Find real numbers $a$ and $b$ such that the polynomial $x^2+ax+b$ cyclically permutes the roots of $Q$, that is, if $r$, $s$ and $t$ are the roots of $Q$ (in some order) then $P(r)=s$, $P(s)=t$ and $P(t)=r$.

2001 IMC, 4

$p(x)$ is a polynomial of degree $n$ with every coefficient $0 $ or $\pm1$, and $p(x)$ is divisible by $ (x - 1)^k$ for some integer $ k > 0$. $q$ is a prime such that $\frac{q}{\ln q}< \frac{k}{\ln n+1}$. Show that the complex $q$-th roots of unity must be roots of $ p(x). $

2003 Italy TST, 3

Let $p(x)$ be a polynomial with integer coefficients and let $n$ be an integer. Suppose that there is a positive integer $k$ for which $f^{(k)}(n) = n$, where $f^{(k)}(x)$ is the polynomial obtained as the composition of $k$ polynomials $f$. Prove that $p(p(n)) = n$.