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Algebra Difficulty 6.6 National olympiad Prove it Silk Road Mathematics Competition

Find all functions f:RRf : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}, satisfying the identity
f(x2+xy+f(y))=(f(x))2+xf(y)+y f(x^2 + xy + f(y)) = (f(x))^2 + x f(y) + y
for all x,yRx, y \in \mathbb{R}.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Using the identity x2+xy=(xy)2+(xy)yx^2 + x y = (-x - y)^2 + (-x - y) y we obtain the following identity for the function ff:
(f(x))2+xf(y)=(f(xy))2(x+y)f(y). (f(x))^2 + x f(y) = (f(-x - y))^2 - (x + y) f(y).
Let's write down some particular cases of the last identity:
(1)(f(x))2+xf(x)=(f(0))2 (it is obtained by putting y=x) (1) \quad (f(x))^2 + x f(-x) = (f(0))^2 \text{ (it is obtained by putting } y = -x)
(2)(f(x))2+xf(0)=(f(x))2xf(0) (it is obtained by putting y=0). (2) \quad (f(x))^2 + x f(0) = (f(-x))^2 - x f(0) \text{ (it is obtained by putting } y = 0).
(1) implies (f(x))2+xf(x)=(f(x))2xf(x)(f(x))^2 + x f(-x) = (f(-x))^2 - x f(x) which is equivalent to
(f(x)+f(x))(f(x)f(x)+x)=0 (f(x) + f(-x))(f(x) - f(-x) + x) = 0
Suppose that for some a0a \neq 0 we have f(a)+f(a)+a=0f(a) + f(-a) + a = 0. Then by (2) (f(a))2+2af(0)=(f(a))2=(f(a)+a)2(f(a))^2 + 2 a f(0) = (f(-a))^2 = (f(a) + a)^2, it follows that
(3)2f(0)=2f(a)+a. (3) \qquad 2 f(0) = 2 f(a) + a.
Eliminating f(0)f(0) and f(a)f(-a) in (1) by a,f(a)a, f(a), we obtain a2=a2/4a^2 = a^2/4, hence, a=0a = 0.
The contradiction says that f(x)+f(x)=0f(x) + f(-x) = 0 for all x0x \neq 0. Now from (3) we get f(0)=0f(0) = 0. The identity (1) is transformed to f(x)(f(x)x)=0f(x)(f(x) - x) = 0. If we put x=0x = 0 in the original identity we obtain f(f(y))=yf(f(y)) = y, which means that ff is injective. Hence, for x0x \neq 0 we have f(x)0f(x) \neq 0. So, f(x)=xf(x) = x, and it obviously satisfies the given identity.

Solution 2

For x=0x = 0 we get f(f(y))=y+(f(0))2f(f(y)) = y + (f(0))^2, which implies that ff is injective and subjective. Let f(a)=0f(a) = 0, then the substitution x=y=ax = y = a gives that f(2a2)=af(2 a^2) = a, which implies that 2a2+(f(0))2=02 a^2 + (f(0))^2 = 0 or a=f(0)=0a = f(0) = 0. Particularly, f(f(y))=yf(f(y)) = y.
Substitution y=0y = 0 now gives f(x2)=(f(x))2f(x^2) = (f(x))^2, from which using that ff is injective we obtain f(x)=f(x)f(x) = -f(-x).
Substitution y=xy = -x gives f(x)(f(x)x)=0f(x)(f(x) - x) = 0, and also using that ff is injective and applying x0f(x)0x \neq 0 \Rightarrow f(x) \neq 0, we have f(x)=xf(x) = x.

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