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Algebra Difficulty 8.6 Shortlist Prove it IMO

Find all functions ff from the set of real numbers into the set of real numbers which satisfy for all real x,yx, y the identity
f(xf(x+y))=f(yf(x))+x2. f(x f(x+y))=f(y f(x))+x^{2} .

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

It is no hard to see that the two functions given by f(x)=xf(x)=x and f(x)=xf(x)=-x for all real xx respectively solve the functional equation. In the sequel, we prove that there are no further solutions.
Let ff be a function satisfying the given equation. It is clear that ff cannot be a constant. Let us first show that f(0)=0f(0)=0. Suppose that f(0)0f(0) \neq 0. For any real tt, substituting (x,y)=(0,tf(0))(x, y)=\left(0, \frac{t}{f(0)}\right) into the given functional equation, we obtain
f(0)=f(t), \begin{equation*} f(0)=f(t), \tag{1} \end{equation*}
contradicting the fact that ff is not a constant function. Therefore, f(0)=0f(0)=0. Next for any tt, substituting (x,y)=(t,0)(x, y)=(t, 0) and (x,y)=(t,t)(x, y)=(t,-t) into the given equation, we get
f(tf(t))=f(0)+t2=t2 f(t f(t))=f(0)+t^{2}=t^{2}
and
f(tf(0))=f(tf(t))+t2 f(t f(0))=f(-t f(t))+t^{2}
respectively. Therefore, we conclude that
f(tf(t))=t2,f(tf(t))=t2, for every real t. \begin{equation*} f(t f(t))=t^{2}, \quad f(-t f(t))=-t^{2}, \quad \text{ for every real } t . \tag{2} \end{equation*}
Consequently, for every real vv, there exists a real uu, such that f(u)=vf(u)=v. We also see that if f(t)=0f(t)=0, then 0=f(tf(t))=t20=f(t f(t))=t^{2} so that t=0t=0, and thus 0 is the only real number satisfying f(t)=0f(t)=0.
We next show that for any real number ss,
f(s)=f(s) \begin{equation*} f(-s)=-f(s) \tag{3} \end{equation*}
This is clear if f(s)=0f(s)=0. Suppose now f(s)<0f(s)<0, then we can find a number tt for which f(s)=t2f(s)=-t^{2}. As t0t \neq 0 implies f(t)0f(t) \neq 0, we can also find number aa such that af(t)=sa f(t)=s. Substituting (x,y)=(t,a)(x, y)=(t, a) into the given equation, we get
f(tf(t+a))=f(af(t))+t2=f(s)+t2=0 f(t f(t+a))=f(a f(t))+t^{2}=f(s)+t^{2}=0
and therefore, tf(t+a)=0t f(t+a)=0, which implies t+a=0t+a=0, and hence s=tf(t)s=-t f(t). Consequently, f(s)=f(tf(t))=t2=(t2)=f(s)f(-s)=f(t f(t))=t^{2}=-\left(-t^{2}\right)=-f(s) holds in this case.
Finally, suppose f(s)>0f(s)>0 holds. Then there exists a real number t0t \neq 0 for which f(s)=t2f(s)=t^{2}. Choose a number aa such that tf(a)=st f(a)=s. Substituting (x,y)=(t,at)(x, y)=(t, a-t) into the given equation, we get f(s)=f(tf(a))=f((at)f(t))+t2=f((at)f(t))+f(s)f(s)=f(t f(a))=f((a-t) f(t))+t^{2}=f((a-t) f(t))+f(s). So we have f((at)f(t))=0f((a-t) f(t))=0, from which we conclude that (at)f(t)=0(a-t) f(t)=0. Since f(t)0f(t) \neq 0, we get a=ta=t so that s=tf(t)s=t f(t) and thus we see f(s)=f(tf(t))=t2=f(s)f(-s)=f(-t f(t))=-t^{2}=-f(s) holds in this case also. This observation finishes the proof of (3).
By substituting (x,y)=(s,t),(x,y)=(t,st)(x, y)=(s, t),(x, y)=(t,-s-t) and (x,y)=(st,s)(x, y)=(-s-t, s) into the given equation,
we obtain
f(sf(s+t)))=f(tf(s))+s2f(tf(s))=f((st)f(t))+t2 \begin{array}{r} f(s f(s+t)))=f(t f(s))+s^{2} \\ f(t f(-s))=f((-s-t) f(t))+t^{2} \end{array}
and
f((st)f(t))=f(sf(st))+(s+t)2 f((-s-t) f(-t))=f(s f(-s-t))+(s+t)^{2}
respectively. Using the fact that f(x)=f(x)f(-x)=-f(x) holds for all xx to rewrite the second and the third equation, and rearranging the terms, we obtain
f(tf(s))f(sf(s+t))=s2f(tf(s))f((s+t)f(t))=t2f((s+t)f(t))+f(sf(s+t))=(s+t)2 \begin{aligned} f(t f(s))-f(s f(s+t)) & =-s^{2} \\ f(t f(s))-f((s+t) f(t)) & =-t^{2} \\ f((s+t) f(t))+f(s f(s+t)) & =(s+t)^{2} \end{aligned}
Adding up these three equations now yields 2f(tf(s))=2ts2 f(t f(s))=2 t s, and therefore, we conclude that f(tf(s))=tsf(t f(s))=t s holds for every pair of real numbers s,ts, t. By fixing ss so that f(s)=1f(s)=1, we obtain f(x)=sxf(x)=s x. In view of the given equation, we see that s=±1s= \pm 1. It is easy to check that both functions f(x)=xf(x)=x and f(x)=xf(x)=-x satisfy the given functional equation, so these are the desired solutions.

Solution 2

As in Solution 1 we obtain (1), (2) and (3).
Now we prove that ff is injective. For this purpose, let us assume that f(r)=f(s)f(r)=f(s) for some rsr \neq s. Then, by (2)
r2=f(rf(r))=f(rf(s))=f((sr)f(r))+r2 r^{2}=f(r f(r))=f(r f(s))=f((s-r) f(r))+r^{2}
where the last statement follows from the given functional equation with x=rx=r and y=sry=s-r. Hence, h=(sr)f(r)h=(s-r) f(r) satisfies f(h)=0f(h)=0 which implies h2=f(hf(h))=f(0)=0h^{2}=f(h f(h))=f(0)=0, i.e., h=0h=0. Then, by srs \neq r we have f(r)=0f(r)=0 which implies r=0r=0, and finally f(s)=f(r)=f(0)=0f(s)=f(r)=f(0)=0. Analogously, it follows that s=0s=0 which gives the contradiction r=sr=s.
To prove f(1)=1|f(1)|=1 we apply (2) with t=1t=1 and also with t=f(1)t=f(1) and obtain f(f(1))=1f(f(1))=1 and (f(1))2=f(f(1)f(f(1)))=f(f(1))=1(f(1))^{2}=f(f(1) \cdot f(f(1)))=f(f(1))=1.
Now we choose η{1,1}\eta \in\{-1,1\} with f(1)=ηf(1)=\eta. Using that ff is odd and the given equation with x=1,y=zx=1, y=z (second equality) and with x=1,y=z+2x=-1, y=z+2 (fourth equality) we obtain
f(z)+2η=η(f(zη)+2)=η(f(f(z+1))+1)=η(f(f(z+1))+1)=ηf((z+2)f(1))=ηf((z+2)(η))=ηf((z+2)η)=f(z+2) \begin{align*} & f(z)+2 \eta=\eta(f(z \eta)+2)=\eta(f(f(z+1))+1)=\eta(-f(-f(z+1))+1) \\ & \quad=-\eta f((z+2) f(-1))=-\eta f((z+2)(-\eta))=\eta f((z+2) \eta)=f(z+2) \tag{4} \end{align*}
Hence,
f(z+2η)=ηf(ηz+2)=η(f(ηz)+2η)=f(z)+2. f(z+2 \eta)=\eta f(\eta z+2)=\eta(f(\eta z)+2 \eta)=f(z)+2 .
Using this argument twice we obtain
f(z+4η)=f(z+2η)+2=f(z)+4 f(z+4 \eta)=f(z+2 \eta)+2=f(z)+4
Substituting z=2f(x)z=2 f(x) we have
f(2f(x))+4=f(2f(x)+4η)=f(2f(x+2)), f(2 f(x))+4=f(2 f(x)+4 \eta)=f(2 f(x+2)),
where the last equality follows from (4). Applying the given functional equation we proceed to
f(2f(x+2))=f(xf(2))+4=f(2ηx)+4 f(2 f(x+2))=f(x f(2))+4=f(2 \eta x)+4
where the last equality follows again from (4) with z=0z=0, i.e., f(2)=2ηf(2)=2 \eta. Finally, f(2f(x))=f(2ηx)f(2 f(x))= f(2 \eta x) and by injectivity of ff we get 2f(x)=2ηx2 f(x)=2 \eta x and hence the two solutions.

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