MHB Area of the bounded regions between a straight line and a polynomial

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The discussion focuses on calculating the ratios of the areas between a straight line and a real polynomial of degree five, specifically when the polynomial has three inflection points that lie on the line. The relationship between the polynomial's inflection points and the straight line is crucial for determining the bounded regions. Participants explore methods for integrating the polynomial and the line to find the area between them. The complexity arises from the polynomial's degree and the specific arrangement of the inflection points. Ultimately, the goal is to derive a formula or method for these area ratios.
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Let $P$ be a real polynomial of degree five. Assume that the graph of $P$ has three inflection points lying on a straight line. Calculate the ratios of the areas of the bounded regions between this line and the graph of the polynomial $P$.
 
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Let $P = f(x)$ be the polynomial.

Changing coordinates if necessary, we can assume that the middle one of the three inflection points is at the origin. Let the other two inflection points be at $x=-a$ and $x=b$, where $a,b>0$.

Then $f''(x) = kx(x+a)(x-b) = k(x^3 + (a-b)x^2 - abx)$. The value of the constant $k$ does not affect the calculations except to cause clutter, so I will assume that $k=1$. Then $f(x) = \frac1{20}x^5 + \frac1{12}(a-b)x^4 - \frac1{6}abx^3 + cx$ for some constant $c$. (The constant term in $f(x)$ is zero because the curve passes through the point of inflection at the origin.)

Next, $f(-a) = -\frac1{20}a^5 + \frac1{12}(a-b)a^4 + \frac1{6}a^4b - ca = \frac1{30}a^5 + \frac1{12}a^4b - ac$, and similarly $f(b) = -\frac1{30}b^5 - \frac1{12}a^4b + bc$. But the points $(-a,f(-a))$ and $(b,f(b))$ lie on a straight line through the origin. Therefore $\dfrac{f(-a)}{-a} = \dfrac{f(b)}b$, so that $\frac1{30}a^5 + \frac1{12}a^4b = \frac1{30}b^5 + \frac1{12}a^4b,$ which simplifies to $(b^2 - a^2)(12a^2 + 30ab + 12b^2) = 0.$ Since the second term in that product is positive, it follows that $b^2 - a^2=0$ and so $b=a$. Therefore $f(x) = \frac1{20}x^5 - \frac1{6}a^2x^3 + cx$.

[TIKZ][scale=3]\draw [help lines, ->] (-1.75,0) -- (1.75,0) ;
\draw [help lines, ->] (0,-1) -- (0,1) ;
\draw [help lines] (-1,0) -- (-1,0.5) ;
\draw [help lines] (1,-0.5) -- (1,0) ;
\draw[ domain=-1.75:1.75, samples=100] plot (\x,0.6*\x^5 - 2*\x^3 + \x);
\draw (-1.75, 0.7) -- (1.75,-0.7) ;
\draw (-1,-0.1) node {$-a$} ;
\draw (1,0.1) node {$a$} ;
\draw (-1.3,0.7) node {$\color{red}A$} ;
\draw (-0.5,0) node {$\color{red}B$} ;
\draw (0.5,0) node {$\color{red}C$} ;
\draw (1.3,-0.7) node {$\color{red}D$} ;[/TIKZ]

The difference between the quintic polynomial and the straight line is $\frac1{60}x(3x^4 - 10a^2x^2 + 7a^4) = \frac1{60}x(x^2-a^2)(3x^2 - 7a^2)$. The points of intersection are at $x = \pm a$ and $x = \pm\sqrt{\frac73}a$. Integrating over the appropriate intervals, I found the ratios of the areas $A:B:C:{D}$ to be $32:81:81:32$. But my arithmetic is unreliable, so please check those numbers.
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...

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