Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-number-theory-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2007/a/1/solution
Past exam of the number theory course of the University of Oxford 2007 A 1 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
By Vieta's formulas, the elementary symmetric polynomials in the roots giveFor each root, . Multiplying by and summing gives the power sum recurrenceIts initial values are , and . They are polynomials with integer coefficients in . The recurrence uses only addition and multiplication by those coefficients, so induction proves the same for every . This is the cubic case of Newton's identities.
For , put , , . Then and . Expanding the product of root differences givesThis is the discriminant of a depressed cubic in depressed form, and the displayed identity also proves its expression in integer-coefficient symmetric polynomials.
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