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Baltic Way shortlist

Baltic Way algebra

Problem

A polynomial with real coefficients is called generating, if for each polynomial with real coefficients there exists positive integer and polynomials such that

Find all generating polynomials.
Solution
Answer: the generating polynomials are exactly the polynomials of odd degree. Take an arbitrary polynomial . We call a polynomial good if it can be represented as for some polynomials . It is clear that the sum of good polynomials is good, and if is a good polynomial then each polynomial of the form is good also. Therefore for the proof that is generating it is sufficient to show that is good polynomial. Consider two cases.

1) Let the degree of is odd. Check that is good polynomial. Observe that by substitutions of the form we can obtain a good polynomial of degree with leading coefficient , and a good polynomial of degree with leading coefficient (because is odd). Then for each a polynomial is good. It is clear that its coefficient of equals ; moreover, by choosing appropriate we can obtain a good polynomial of degree with leading coefficient , and a good polynomial with leading coefficient . Continuing in this way we will obtain a good polynomial . Then is also good.

2) Let the degree of is even. Prove that is not generating. It follows from the observation that the degree of every good polynomial is even in this case. Indeed, the degree of each polynomial is even and the leading coefficient has the same sign as the leading coefficient of . Therefore the degree of polynomial is even.
Final answer
All real-coefficient polynomials of odd degree.

Techniques

Polynomial operations