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Algebra Difficulty 8.3 Shortlist Prove it Baltic Way

Find all functions f:RRf: \mathbf{R} \to \mathbf{R} satisfying, for all real numbers xx and yy, the equation
xf(y)+yf(x)=f(xy)+f(x2)+f(f(y)). |x|f(y) + yf(x) = f(xy) + f(x^2) + f(f(y)).

Solution

Answer: all functions f(x)=c(xx)f(x) = c(|x| - x), where cc is a real number. Choosing x=y=0x = y = 0, we find
f(f(0))=2f(0). f(f(0)) = -2f(0).
Denote a=f(0)a = f(0), so that f(a)=2af(a) = -2a, and choose y=0y = 0 in the initial equation:
ax=a+f(x2)+f(a)=a+f(x2)2af(x2)=a(x+1). a|x| = a + f(x^2) + f(a) = a + f(x^2) - 2a \Rightarrow f(x^2) = a(|x| + 1).
In particular, f(1)=2af(1) = 2a. Choose (x,y)=(z2,1)(x, y) = (z^2, 1) in the initial equation:
z2f(1)+f(z2)=f(z2)+f(z4)+f(f(1))2az2=z2f(1)=f(z4)+f(f(1))=a(z2+1)+f(2a)az2=a+f(2a). \begin{align*} z^2 f(1) + f(z^2) &= f(z^2) + f(z^4) + f(f(1)) \\ \Rightarrow \quad 2az^2 &= z^2 f(1) = f(z^4) + f(f(1)) = a(z^2 + 1) + f(2a) \\ \Rightarrow \quad az^2 &= a + f(2a). \end{align*}
The right-hand side is constant, while the left-hand side is a quadratic function in zz, which can only happen if a=0a = 0. (Choose z=1z = 1 and then z=0z = 0.)
We now conclude that f(x2)=0f(x^2) = 0, and so f(x)=0f(x) = 0 for all non-negative xx. In particular, f(0)=0f(0) = 0. Choosing x=0x = 0 in the initial equation, we find

for all yy. Simplifying the original equation and swapping xx and yy leads to
xf(y)+yf(x)=f(xy)=yf(x)+xf(y). |x|f(y) + yf(x) = f(xy) = |y|f(x) + xf(y).
Choose y=1y = -1 and put c=f(1)2c = \frac{f(-1)}{2}:
xf(1)f(x)=f(x)+xf(1)f(x)=f(1)2(xx)=c(xx). |x|f(-1) - f(x) = f(x) + xf(-1) \quad \Rightarrow \quad f(x) = \frac{f(-1)}{2}(|x| - x) = c(|x| - x).
One easily verifies that these functions satisfy the functional equation for any parameter cc. \square

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