Polynomials with rational values

4 October 2025

Here is a cool exercise.
Let P ∈ ℝ[X], deg(P) = n. Suppose that there exist x0, x1, …, xn ∈ ℚ such that P(xi) ∈ ℚ for all i. Show that P ∈ ℚ[X].

Hint: Vandermonde determinant or Lagrange interpolation