Problem

Source: 2023 Taiwan TST Round 2 Independent Study 1-N

Tags: Taiwan, number theory, algebra, polynomial



Let $f_n$ be a polynomial with real coefficients for all $n \in \mathbb{Z}$. Suppose that \[f_n(k) = f_{n+k}(k) \quad n, k \in \mathbb{Z}.\](a) Does $f_n = f_m$ necessarily hold for all $m,n \in \mathbb{Z}$? (b) If furthermore $f_n$ is a polynomial with integer coefficients for all $n \in\mathbb{Z}$, does $f_n = f_m$ necessarily hold for all $m, n \in\mathbb{Z}$? Proposed by usjl