The conjecture on three rational linear factors of trinomials

Let n4n\geq 4, and consider trinomials xn+Ax+Bx^n+A x+B defined over Q\mathbb{Q}. Their reducibility type records the degrees of their irreducible factors over Q\mathbb{Q}; in particular, type (1,1,1,n3)(1,1,1,n-3) means that they have three distinct rational roots and one remaining factor of degree n3n-3.

Three-linear-factor conjecture. There are no trinomials xn+Ax+Bx^n+A x+B defined over Q\mathbb{Q} with reducibility type (1,1,1,n3)(1,1,1,n-3).

For odd nn, the claim is connected with the rational points on the curve defined by Gn(p,q,r)=0G_n(p,q,r)=0, whose genus is (n4)(n3)/2(n-4)(n-3)/2; the authors state that they do not know how to prove that its trivial points are complete. The even-nn case is ruled out by Descartes' rule of signs, so the conjectural content concerns the remaining cases.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Andrew Bremner and Maciej Ulas, “On the reducibility type of trinomials”, arXiv:1112.4267 (2011).

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