Analyzing the Setup
We are given a polynomial p(x)=a0+a1x+a2x2+⋯+anxn subject to the constraint ∣p(x)∣≤∣ex−1−1∣ for all x≥0. Our objective is to prove that ∣a1+2a2+⋯+nan∣≤1.
The first critical observation occurs at
x=1. Substituting this into the right side of the inequality yields:
∣e1−1−1∣=∣e0−1∣=∣1−1∣=0
This forces the condition ∣p(1)∣≤0. Since the absolute value of any real number is non-negative, we must have p(1)=0. This identifies x=1 as a fixed anchor point where the polynomial intersects the x-axis.
The Derivative Connection
Next, we examine the target expression
a1+2a2+⋯+nan. By differentiating the polynomial
p(x), we obtain:
p′(x)=a1+2a2x+3a3x2+⋯+nanxn−1
Evaluating this derivative at
x=1 gives:
p′(1)=a1+2a2+3a3+⋯+nan
Thus, the problem is equivalent to proving that ∣p′(1)∣≤1. We have successfully translated an algebraic summation into a calculus-based objective.
The Limit Bridge
To relate the function's bound to its derivative, we utilize the formal definition of the derivative at
x=1:
p′(1)=x→1limx−1p(x)−p(1)
Since we established that
p(1)=0, this simplifies to:
p′(1)=x→1limx−1p(x)
Taking our original inequality
∣p(x)∣≤∣ex−1−1∣, we divide both sides by
∣x−1∣ for
$x
eq 1$:
Final Conclusion
As
x→1, the right side of the inequality represents a standard limit:
x→1limx−1ex−1−1=1
Applying the limit to both sides of our inequality, we conclude:
∣p′(1)∣≤1
This confirms that ∣a1+2a2+⋯+nan∣≤1. The beauty of this problem lies in bridging the gap between algebraic coefficients and the geometric slope of the function.