IMO 1975 · Problem 6

Find all polynomials \(P\), in two variables, with the following properties:

(i) for a positive integer \(n\) and all real \(t,x,y\) \[ P(tx,ty)=t^nP(x,y) \] (that is, \(P\) is homogeneous of degree \(n\)),

(ii) for all real \(a,b,c\), \[ P(b+c,a)+P(c+a,b)+P(a+b,c)=0, \]

(iii) \(P(1,0)=1\).

Official text of the problem. Official problem paper (PDF)

Answer

All such polynomials are \[ \boxed{P(x,y)=(x+y)^{n-1}(x-2y),\qquad n=1,2,3,\ldots.} \] For \(n=1\), this means \(P(x,y)=x-2y\).

Solution

Let \(P\) satisfy the three conditions, and define the one-variable polynomial \[ q(u)=P(1-u,u). \] By (iii), \(q(0)=1\), so \(q\) is not the zero polynomial.

In (ii), take \(a=b=u\) and \(c=1-2u\). This gives \[ 2P(1-u,u)+P(2u,1-2u)=0, \] or equivalently \[ 2q(u)+q(1-2u)=0 \qquad\text{for every real }u. \] Let \(d\ge0\) be the degree of \(q\), with leading coefficient \(\lambda\ne0\). Comparing the coefficients of \(u^d\) yields \[ \lambda\bigl(2+(-2)^d\bigr)=0. \] Thus \((-2)^d=-2\), which forces \(d=1\).

Setting \(u=0\) in the same identity gives \(q(1)=-2q(0)=-2\). Since \(q\) is linear and \(q(0)=1\), we obtain \[ q(u)=1-3u. \]

Now let \(x+y\ne0\), and put \(s=x+y\). By homogeneity, \[ \begin{aligned} P(x,y) &=s^nP\left(\frac{x}{s},\frac{y}{s}\right)\\ &=s^nq\left(\frac{y}{s}\right)\\ &=s^n\left(1-\frac{3y}{s}\right)\\ &=(x+y)^{n-1}(x-2y). \end{aligned} \] Both sides are polynomials, hence continuous, so this identity also holds when \(x+y=0\).

Conversely, fix any positive integer \(n\) and define \[ P(x,y)=(x+y)^{n-1}(x-2y), \] where the factor with exponent zero is the constant polynomial \(1\). This polynomial is homogeneous of degree \(n\), and \(P(1,0)=1\).

For arbitrary real \(a,b,c\), write \(s=a+b+c\). Then \[ \begin{aligned} &P(b+c,a)+P(c+a,b)+P(a+b,c)\\ &\quad=s^{n-1}\bigl[(s-3a)+(s-3b)+(s-3c)\bigr]\\ &\quad=s^{n-1}\bigl[3s-3(a+b+c)\bigr]=0. \end{aligned} \] Thus every polynomial in the stated family satisfies all three conditions, completing the classification.

The solution was checked against John Scholes' IMO solution archive (Kalva).