Discriminants of polynomials related to Chebyshev polynomials: the ``Mutt and Jeff '' syndrome (Q549837)

Consider the Chebyshev polynomials \(U_n(t)\) of the second kind with the integral transform \[ SU_n(z)=\frac{1}{2}\int_{-z}^zU'_{2n-1}(t)(x-t^2)dt \] which forms a polynomial in \(z\) (with parameter \(x\)). Then the discriminant of \(SU_n(z)\) in \(z\) can be written as a product of two polynomials in the parameter \(x\) which are called Mutt and Jeff polynomials. In this article, these two polynomials are analyzed and various properties are extracted. E.g., although their coefficients differ highly in size, the roots are almost the same, and the discriminants of the polynomials in \(x\) involve exactly the same prime numbers.