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If $a\ne 0$ and $\frac{1}{4}(b-c)^2=(a-b)(c-a)$, compute $\frac{b+c}{a}$.

If all roots of the equation $$x^4-16x^3+(81-2a)x^2 +(16a-142)x+(a^2-21a+68)=0$$ are integers, find the value of $a$ and solve this equation.

Let real numbers $a, b, c$ satisfy $a > 0$, $b>0$, $2c>a+b$, and $c^2>ab$. Prove $$c-\sqrt{c^2-ab} < a < c +\sqrt{c^2-ab}$$

Suppose the graph of $f(x)=x^4 + ax^3 + bx^2 + cd + d$, where $a$, $b$, $c$, $d$ are all real constants, passes through three points $A \big(2,\frac{1}{2}\big)$, $B \big(3, \frac{1}{3}\big)$, and $C \big(4, \frac{1}{4}\big)$. Find the value of $f(1) + f(5)$.

Find a quadratic polynomial $f(x)=x^2 + mx +n$ such that $$f(a)=bc,\quad f(b) = ca,\quad f(c) = ab$$ where $a$, $b$, $c$ are three distinct real numbers.

If all coefficients of the polynomial $$f(x)=a_nx^n + a_{n-1}x^{n-1}+\cdots+a_3x^3+x^2+x+1=0$$ are real numbers, prove that its roots cannot be all real.

Compute the value of $$\sqrt[3]{2+\frac{10}{3\sqrt{3}}}+\sqrt[3]{2-\frac{10}{3\sqrt{3}}}$$ and simplify $$\sqrt[3]{2+\frac{10}{3\sqrt{3}}}\quad\text{and}\quad\sqrt[3]{2-\frac{10}{3\sqrt{3}}}$$

For certain real numbers $a$, $b$, and $c$, the polynomial $g(x) = x^3 + ax^2 + x + 10$has three distinct roots, and each root of $g(x)$ is also a root of the polynomial $f(x) = x^4 + x^3 + bx^2 + 100x + c.$What is $f(1)$?

Let $f(x)=x^3 -x^2 -13x+24$. Find three pairs of $(x,y)$ such that if $y=f(x)$, then $x=f(y)$.

Let $P(x)$ be a monic cubic polynomial. The lines $y = 0$ and $y = m$ intersect $P(x)$ at points $A$, $C$, $E$ and $B$, $D$, $F$ from left to right for a positive real number $m$. If $AB = \sqrt{7}$, $CD = \sqrt{15}$, and $EF = \sqrt{10}$, what is the value of $m$?

Let $f(x)=2016x - 2015$. Solve this equation $$\underbrace{f(f(f(\cdots f(x))))}_{2017\text{ iterations}}=f(x)$$

The sum and product of two numbers are equal to $y$. For which values of $y$ are these two numbers real?

Let $m$ and $n$ be the roots of $P(x)=ax^2+bx+c$. Find the coefficients of the quadratic polynomial whose roots are $m^2-n$ and $n^2-m$.

Let $\alpha$ and $\beta$ be the roots of $x^2+px+1$, and let $\gamma$ and $\sigma$ be the roots of $x^2+qx+1$. Show $$(\alpha - \gamma)(\beta-\gamma)(\alpha+\sigma)(\beta+\sigma) = q^2 - p^2$$

Let $b \ge 0$ be a real number. The product of the four real roots of the equations $x^2+2bx+c=0$ and $x^2+2cx+b=0$ is equal to $1$. Find the values of $b$ and $c$.

Show that if $a$, $b$, $c$ are the lengths of the sides of a triangle, then the equation $$b^2x^2+(b^2+c^2-a^2)x + c^2=0$$ does not have any real roots.

Find all real numbers $m$ such that $$x^2+my^2-4my+6y-6x+2m+8 \ge 0$$ for every pair of real numbers $x$ and $y$.

A real number $a$ is chosen randomly and uniformly from the interval $[-20, 18]$. The probability that the roots of the polynomial $x^4 + 2ax^3 + (2a - 2)x^2 + (-4a + 3)x - 2$ are all real can be written in the form $\dfrac{m}{n}$, where $m$ and $n$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $m + n$.

Let $x_1$ and $x_2$ be the two roots of equation $x^2 − 3x + 2 = 0$. Find the following values without computing $x_1$ and $x_2$ directly.

i) $x_1^4 + x_2^4$

ii) $x_1 - x_2$

(Note: for (i) above, how many different solutions can you find?)

Find the sum of all possible integer values of $a$ such that the equation $(a + 1)x^2-(a^2 + 1)x + (2a^2 − 6) = 0$ is solvable in integers.

Determine all positive integer $n$ such that the following equation is solvable in integers: $$x^n + (2+x)^n + (2-x)^n = 0$$

Find, with proof, all ordered pairs of positive integers $(a, b)$ with the following property: there exist positive integers $r$, $s$, and $t$ such that for all $n$ for which both sides are defined, $$\binom{\binom{n}{a}}{b}=r\binom{n+s}{t}$$

Let $f(x)=a_0+a_1x+a_2x^2+\cdots +a_nx^n$ be a $n$-degree polynomial and all its coefficients $a_i$ $(0\le i\le n)$ be either $1$ or $-1$. If $f(x)$ has only real roots, what is the maximum value of $n$?

Find the sum of all $n$ such that $$\binom{n}{0}-\binom{n}{1}+\binom{n}{2}-\binom{n}{3}+\cdots +\binom{n}{2018} = 0$$

How many quadratic polynomials with real coefficients are there such that the set of roots equals the set of coefficients? (For clarification: If the polynomial is $ax^2+bc+c, a\ne 0$, and the roots are $r$ and $s$, then the requirement is that $\{a,\ b,\ c\}=\{r,\ s\}$.)