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Algebra Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Netherlands

Find all functions f:Z>0Z>0f: \mathbb{Z}_{>0} \to \mathbb{Z}_{>0} for which f(n)f(m)nf(n) \mid f(m) - n if and only if nmn \mid m for all natural numbers mm and nn.

Solution

Substituting m=nm = n gives f(n)f(n)nf(n) \mid f(n) - n, so for all natural numbers nn we have f(n)nf(n) \mid n. Applying this to the original condition, it follows that f(n)f(m)f(n) \mid f(m) if and only if nmn \mid m.

We show that f(n)=nf(n) = n by induction on the number of prime factors of nn. The base of the induction is the case n=1n = 1. In this case, we have f(1)1f(1) \mid 1, therefore f(1)=1f(1) = 1.

Suppose that f(k)=kf(k) = k for all natural numbers kk with fewer prime factors than nn, and suppose for a contradiction that f(n)nf(n) \mid n is a strict divisor of nn. Then there exists a prime number pp such that f(n)np=f(np)f(n) \mid \frac{n}{p} = f(\frac{n}{p}), by the induction hypothesis. But nn does not divide np\frac{n}{p}, which contracts our assumption that f(n)nf(n) \neq n. Therefore f(n)=nf(n) = n, and this concludes the induction.

Note that f(n)=nf(n) = n is indeed a solution, since nmn \mid m holds if and only if nmnn \mid m - n. \square

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