Let f(x) be a nonconstant polynomial in x with integer coefficients and suppose that for five distinct integers a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, one has f(a1)= f(a2)= f(a3)= f(a4)= f(a5)= 2.

Find all integers b such that f(b)= 9.

Should f(b)=9 be impossible (and I'm not telling!), what would be the least square that f(b) can equal?

Posted by Federico Kereki on 2006-05-26 10:02:38