2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 30C10.Classical Rolle’s theorem and its analogues for complex algebraic polynomials are discussed. A complex Rolle’s theorem is conjectured.

For n ∈ ℕ, L > 0, and p ≥ 1 let ${\kappa }_p(n,L)$ be the largest possible value of k for which there is a polynomial P ≢ 0 of the form $P\left(x\right)={\sum }_{j=0}^n{a}_j{x}^j$, $|a_0\left|\ge L\right({\sum }_{j=1}^n|a_j{{|}^p)}^{1/p}$, $a_j\in ℂ$, such that ${(x-1)}^k$ divides P(x). For n ∈ ℕ, L > 0, and q ≥ 1 let ${\mu }_q(n,L)$ be the smallest value of k for which there is a polynomial Q of degree k with complex coefficients such that $\left|Q\left(0\right)\right|>1/L({\sum }_{j=1}^n{\left|Q\left(j\right)\right|}^q{)}^{1/q}$. We find the size of ${\kappa }_p(n,L)$ and ${\mu }_q(n,L)$ for all n ∈ ℕ, L > 0, and 1 ≤ p,q ≤ ∞. The result about ${\mu }_{\infty }(n,L)$ is due to Coppersmith and Rivlin, but our proof is completely different and much shorter even in that special...

This paper establishes the necessary and sufficient conditions for the reality of all the zeros in a polynomial sequence ${\left\{P_i\right\}}_{i=1}^{\infty }$ generated by a three-term recurrence relation $P_i\left(x\right)+Q_1\left(x\right)P_{i-1}\left(x\right)+Q_2\left(x\right)P_{i-2}\left(x\right)=0$ with the standard initial conditions $P_0\left(x\right)=1,P_{-1}\left(x\right)=0,$ where $Q_1\left(x\right)$ and $Q_2\left(x\right)$ are arbitrary real polynomials.