Prove that for any collection a1,a2,…,a2011 of real numbers with a2011=0 there exists a function f:R→R, such that for any real x we have: a1f(x)+a2f(f(x))+⋯+a20112011f(f(f…f(x)…))=x.
Solution
We will search for the function f in the form f(x)=kx with k=0. Then nf(f(f…f(x)…))=knx. So the equality from the problem statement becomes: a1kx+a2k2x+⋯+a2011k2011x=x. We cancel x and obtain the following equation a2011k2011+a2010k2010+⋯+a2k2+a1k−1=0, which has a non-zero solution, because the left-hand side is a polynomial of an odd degree with non-zero leading and free coefficients. So, for this k the function f(x)=kx will solve the problem.
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Source: MathNet,
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