Skip to main content
OlympiadHQ

Browse · MATH

Print

jmc

algebra senior

Problem

Let be a complex number. Suppose there exist distinct complex numbers , , and such that for every complex number , we have Compute the number of distinct possible values of .
Solution
Expanding both sides gives Since this equation holds for all we must have If none of are equal to then these equations imply that Then are the roots of the polynomial so which contradicts the fact that must be distinct. Therefore, at least one of the numbers must be equal to

If then all three equations are satisfied for any values of If then the equations are satisfied when If then the equations are satisfied when Therefore, all such work. The equations and have a total of roots, but since satisfies all three of them, it is counted three times, so the number of possible values of is
Final answer
4