AMC 10 Step by Step
2023 AMC 10BProblem 12P11-15~3 minPrint

When the roots of the polynomial

P(x)=(x1)1(x2)2(x3)3(x10)10P(x) = (x-1)^1 (x-2)^2 (x-3)^3 \cdot \cdot \cdot (x-10)^{10}

are removed from the number line, what remains is the union of 1111 disjoint open intervals. On how many of these intervals is P(x)P(x) positive?

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Problem © Mathematical Association of America (MAA), American Mathematics Competitions. Reproduced for non-commercial educational use. Solution and commentary are original to this site.