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Algebra Difficulty 6.3 National Olympiad Prove it Romania

Find the strictly increasing functions f:NNf : \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{N} with the following property: the number f(x)f(y)f(x) \cdot f(y) divides the number (1+2x)f(y)+(1+2y)f(x)(1+2x) \cdot f(y) + (1+2y) \cdot f(x), for any natural numbers xx and yy.

Solution

For x=y=0x = y = 0 we deduce f2(0)2f(0)f^2(0) \mid 2f(0), whence f(0){0,1,2}f(0) \in \{0, 1, 2\}.

If f(0)=0f(0) = 0, for y=0y = 0 we have 0f(x)0 \mid f(x), xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}, so f(x)=0f(x) = 0, xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}, which contradicts the fact that ff is strictly increasing.

If f(0)=1f(0) = 1, for y=0y = 0, we have f(x)(2x+1)+f(x)f(x) \mid (2x + 1) + f(x), xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}, thus f(x)2x+1f(x) \mid 2x + 1, xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}.
Assuming that f(k)=2k+1f(k) = 2k + 1, for some natural kk, we have f(k+1)2k+3f(k + 1) \mid 2k + 3, and since f(k+1)>f(k)=2k+1f(k + 1) > f(k) = 2k + 1 we get f(k+1)=2k+3f(k + 1) = 2k + 3, that is f(x)=2x+1f(x) = 2x + 1, xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}.

If f(0)=2f(0) = 2, for y=0y = 0, we have 2f(x)2(2x+1)+f(x)2f(x) \mid 2(2x + 1) + f(x), xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}, thus 2(2x+1)+f(x)2f(x)=2x+1f(x)+12N\frac{2(2x+1)+f(x)}{2f(x)} = \frac{2x+1}{f(x)} + \frac{1}{2} \in \mathbb{N}, xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}.
Assuming that f(k)=4k+2f(k) = 4k + 2, for some natural kk, we have 2k+3f(k+1)+12N\frac{2k+3}{f(k+1)} + \frac{1}{2} \in \mathbb{N} and since f(k+1)>f(k)=4k+2f(k + 1) > f(k) = 4k + 2 we get 0<2k+3f(k+1)+12<2k+34k+2+1220 < \frac{2k+3}{f(k+1)} + \frac{1}{2} < \frac{2k+3}{4k+2} + \frac{1}{2} \le 2. So 2k+3f(k+1)+12=1\frac{2k+3}{f(k+1)} + \frac{1}{2} = 1, thus f(k+1)=4k+6f(k+1) = 4k + 6, that is f(x)=4x+2f(x) = 4x + 2, xN\forall x \in \mathbb{N}.

Both functions fulfill the property in the statement.

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