TITLE: Disjoint images of polynomials
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: Are there any $f,g \in \mathbb{Q}[x]$ such that for every root of unity $\zeta$, and every $a,b \in \mathbb{Q}(\zeta)$, $f(a) \neq g(b)?$

REPLY [18 votes]: I guess you won't be satisfied with the answer $f=0$ and $g=1$.  :)
But the answer is yes even if you assume that $f$ and $g$ are nonconstant.  For example, consider $f(x)=2x^3$ and $g(x)=(x^3-2)^3$.  If $f(a)=g(b)$ for some $a,b \in \mathbb{Q}(\zeta)$, then one finds that $2$ is a cube in $\mathbb{Q}(\zeta)$, which is a contradiction.