How to create a cubic equation that include sums of the roots of another cubic equation

As you've mentioned, you know that $$y_1 + y_2 + y_3 = 1$$ $$y_1y_2 + y_1y_3 + y_2y_3 = -4$$ $$y_1y_2y_3 = -3$$

To find a polynomial $x^3 - ax^2 + bx - c$ whose roots are $y_1 + y_2, y_1 + y_3$ and $y_2 + y_3$, you can use Vieta's formulas in terms of elementary symmetric polynomials of these roots. That is, you want to calculate:

$$a = (y_1 + y_2) + (y_1 + y_3) + (y_2 + y_3)$$ $$b = (y_1 + y_2)(y_1 + y_3) + (y_1 + y_2)(y_2 + y_3) + (y_1 + y_3)(y_2 + y_3)$$ $$c = (y_1 + y_2)(y_1 + y_3)(y_2 + y_3)$$

The first one is easy to find, it is equal to $a = 2(y_1 + y_2 + y_3) = 2$.

The computations for $b$ and $c$ are more tedious, but they are symmetric polynomials in $y_1, y_2$ and $y_3$ so they can be expressed in terms of elementary symmetric polynomials (and hence in terms of known values) using something like Gauss' algorithm.

In our case we have $b = (y_1+y_2+y_3)^2 + (y_1y_2 + y_1y_3 + y_2y_3) = -3$ and we have $c = (y_1 + y_2 + y_3)(y_1y_2 + y_1y_3 + y_2y_3) - y_1y_2y_3 = -1$.

So the polynomial $x^3 - 2x^2 - 3x + 1$ should have the right roots, assuming my calculations are correct.


By Vieta’s formula, we know that $y_1+y_2+y_3 = 1$. So we’re looking for the cubic whose roots are $1-y_1$, $1-y_2$, $1-y_3$. This is accomplished by doing the simple substitution (noting that the inverse function of $1-x$ is itself): $$f(1-y) = (1-y)^3 - (1-y)^2 - 4(1-y) + 3 = -y^3 + 2y^2 + 3y - 1.$$

Negating this to make it monic yields $y^3 - 2y^2 - 3y + 1$, as in Tob Ernack’s answer.