On the zeros of a polynomial (Q5896986)

Let \[ q(z) = a_0 + a_1 z + \dots + a_{p-1}z^{p-1} + a_pz^p + \dots + a_nz^n,\quad a_n\neq0, \] be a polynomial of degree \(n\). In this paper the author obtains an upper bound involving the coefficients of the polynomial for the moduli of its \(p\) zeros of smallest moduli. {Theorem 1.} Let \(q(z)\) be a polynomial such that \(a_p\neq a_{p-1}\) for some \(p\in \{1, \dots , n\}\). Set \[ M=M_p:=\sum_{j=p+1}^n|a_j-a_{j-1}|+|a_n|,\quad 1\leq p\leq n-1,\quad M_n:=|a_n|, \] and \[ m=m_p:=\sum_{j=1}^{p-1}|a_j-a_{j-1}|,\quad 2\leq p\leq n,\quad m_1:=0. \] Suppose that \[ \frac{p}{M} \frac{|a_p-a_{p-1}|}{p+1}<1\tag{1} \] and that \[ |a_0|+m\frac{p}{M} \frac{|a_p-a_{p-1}|}{p+1}< \left(\frac{p}{M}\right)^p \left(\frac{|a_p-a_{p-1}|}{p+1}\right)^{p+1}. \] Then \(q(z)\) has at least \(p\) zeros in \[ |z|<\frac{p}{M} \frac{|a_p-a_{p-1}|}{p+1}. \] The author considers a class of polynomials for which a condition similar to (1) is definitely true, \(p\neq n\), and the corresponding result is as follows. {Theorem 2.} Let \(q(z)\) be a polynomial of degree \(n\) such that \(a_p\neq a_{p-1}\) for some \(p\in \{1, \dots , n-1\}\), \(| \arg a_k -\beta|\leq \alpha\leq\pi/2\), \(k = 0,1,\dots, n,\) for some real \(\beta\) and \(\alpha\), and \(|a_n|\geq|a_{n-1}|\geq\dots\geq|a_1|\geq|a_0|\). Set \[ L=L_p:=|a_n|+(|a_n|-|a_p|)\cos\alpha+\sum_{j=p+ 1}^n(|a_j|+|a_{j-1}|)\sin\alpha, \] and \[ l=l_p:=(|a_{p-1}|-|a_0|)\cos\alpha+\sum_{j=1}^{p-1}(|a_j|+|a_{j-1}|)\sin\alpha, \quad 2\leq p\leq n-1,\quad l_1:=0. \] Suppose that \[ |a_0|+l\frac{p}{L} \frac{|a_p-a_{p-1}|}{p+1}< \left(\frac{p}{L}\right)^p \left(\frac{|a_p-a_{p-1}|}{p+1}\right)^{p+1}. \] Then \(q(z)\) has at least \(p\) zeros in \[ |z|<\frac{p}{L} \frac{|a_p-a_{p-1}|}{p+1}. \] By taking \(\alpha=\beta=0\) in Theorem 2, a refinement of the Eneström-Kakeya theorem is obtained. {Corollary.} Let \(q(z)\) be a polynomial of degree \(n\), with \[ a_{n}\geq a_{n-1}\geq \dots a_{p}> a_{p-1}\geq \dots a_{1}\geq a_{0} > 0, \quad 1 \leq p\leq n. \] Suppose that \[ (p +1)^p(2a_n - a_p)^{p-1}\left[(p +1)a_0(2a_n -a_p) + p(a_p-a_{p-1})(a_{p-1}-a_0)\right]< \] \[ <p^p(a_p-a_{p-1})^{p+1}. \] Then \(q(z)\) has at least \(p\) zeros in \[ |z|<\frac{p}{p+1} \frac{a_p-a_{p-1}}{2a_n-a_p}. \]