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Algebra Difficulty 8.9 Shortlist Prove it Romania

Find all the functions f:ZNf: \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{N} fulfilling the conditions:
i) f(m+n)=f(m)+f(n)+2mnf(m+n) = f(m)+f(n)+2mn, for every integers m,nm, n;
ii) f(f(x))f(1)f(f(x))-f(1) is a perfect square for each integer xx.

Solution

Let us try to find all functions f:ZNf: \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{N} such that:

i) f(m+n)=f(m)+f(n)+2mnf(m+n) = f(m) + f(n) + 2mn for all m,nZm, n \in \mathbb{Z};
ii) f(f(x))f(1)f(f(x)) - f(1) is a perfect square for all xZx \in \mathbb{Z}.

Let us first solve the functional equation (i).

Let P(m,n)P(m, n) denote the assertion f(m+n)=f(m)+f(n)+2mnf(m+n) = f(m) + f(n) + 2mn.

Let us try to find the general form of ff.

Let us try f(x)=ax2+bx+cf(x) = ax^2 + bx + c for some a,b,cRa, b, c \in \mathbb{R}.

Plug into (i):

f(m+n)=a(m+n)2+b(m+n)+cf(m+n) = a(m+n)^2 + b(m+n) + c

f(m)+f(n)+2mn=am2+bm+c+an2+bn+c+2mnf(m) + f(n) + 2mn = a m^2 + b m + c + a n^2 + b n + c + 2 m n

=a(m2+n2)+b(m+n)+2c+2mn= a(m^2 + n^2) + b(m + n) + 2c + 2 m n

But a(m+n)2=a(m2+2mn+n2)=am2+2amn+an2a(m+n)^2 = a(m^2 + 2 m n + n^2) = a m^2 + 2 a m n + a n^2

So:

f(m+n)=am2+2amn+an2+bm+bn+cf(m+n) = a m^2 + 2 a m n + a n^2 + b m + b n + c

Set equal to a(m2+n2)+b(m+n)+2c+2mna(m^2 + n^2) + b(m + n) + 2c + 2 m n:

am2+2amn+an2+bm+bn+c=am2+an2+bm+bn+2c+2mna m^2 + 2 a m n + a n^2 + b m + b n + c = a m^2 + a n^2 + b m + b n + 2c + 2 m n

2amn+c=2mn+2c2 a m n + c = 2 m n + 2c

2amn+c=2mn+2c2 a m n + c = 2 m n + 2c

2amn2mn=2cc2 a m n - 2 m n = 2c - c

2(a1)mn=c2(a-1) m n = c

But this must hold for all m,nm, n, so a=1a = 1 and c=0c = 0.

Therefore, f(x)=x2+bxf(x) = x^2 + b x for some bRb \in \mathbb{R}.

But f:ZNf: \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{N}, so f(x)=x2+bxf(x) = x^2 + b x must be a positive integer for all xZx \in \mathbb{Z}.

Let us check for which bb this is possible.

For x=0x = 0, f(0)=0f(0) = 0.

But N\mathbb{N} usually means positive integers, i.e., N={1,2,3,}\mathbb{N} = \{1, 2, 3, \ldots\}, so f(0)=0f(0) = 0 is not in N\mathbb{N}.

Therefore, there is no such function unless N\mathbb{N} is defined to include 00 (some conventions do this, but usually N\mathbb{N} is positive integers).

Alternatively, perhaps the problem means N0={0,1,2,}\mathbb{N}_0 = \{0, 1, 2, \ldots\}.

Let us proceed anyway.

For x=bx = -b, f(b)=(b)2+b(b)=b2b2=0f(-b) = (-b)^2 + b(-b) = b^2 - b^2 = 0.

So f(b)=0f(-b) = 0.

Thus, unless b=0b = 0, f(x)f(x) takes the value 00 for some xx.

If b=0b = 0, f(x)=x2f(x) = x^2, which is always non-negative, and f(0)=0f(0) = 0.

So f(x)=x2f(x) = x^2 is a solution if 0N0 \in \mathbb{N}.

If N\mathbb{N} is positive integers, then there is no solution.

Let us check the second condition for f(x)=x2f(x) = x^2:

f(f(x))f(1)=f(x2)12=(x2)21=x41f(f(x)) - f(1) = f(x^2) - 1^2 = (x^2)^2 - 1 = x^4 - 1

Is x41x^4 - 1 always a perfect square?

For x=0x = 0, 041=10^4 - 1 = -1, not a perfect square.

For x=1x = 1, 141=01^4 - 1 = 0, which is a perfect square.

For x=2x = 2, 161=1516 - 1 = 15, not a perfect square.

So f(x)=x2f(x) = x^2 does not satisfy the second condition.

Let us try b=1b = 1, f(x)=x2+xf(x) = x^2 + x.

Then f(0)=0f(0) = 0, f(1)=11=0f(-1) = 1 - 1 = 0.

So again, f(x)f(x) takes value 00.

Let us try b=2b = 2, f(x)=x2+2xf(x) = x^2 + 2x.

Then f(0)=0f(0) = 0, f(2)=44=0f(-2) = 4 - 4 = 0.

So for any integer bb, f(x)f(x) takes value 00 at x=0x = 0 or x=bx = -b.

Therefore, unless 0N0 \in \mathbb{N}, there is no solution.

If 0N0 \in \mathbb{N}, let us check the second condition for f(x)=x2+bxf(x) = x^2 + b x.

f(f(x))f(1)=f(x2+bx)(12+b1)=(x2+bx)2+b(x2+bx)(1+b)f(f(x)) - f(1) = f(x^2 + b x) - (1^2 + b \cdot 1) = (x^2 + b x)^2 + b(x^2 + b x) - (1 + b)

=(x4+2bx3+b2x2)+bx2+b2x(1+b)= (x^4 + 2 b x^3 + b^2 x^2) + b x^2 + b^2 x - (1 + b)

=x4+2bx3+(b2+b)x2+b2x(1+b)= x^4 + 2 b x^3 + (b^2 + b) x^2 + b^2 x - (1 + b)

Is this always a perfect square for all xx?

For x=0x = 0, f(f(0))f(1)=f(0)f(1)=0(1+b)=(1+b)f(f(0)) - f(1) = f(0) - f(1) = 0 - (1 + b) = -(1 + b), which is negative unless b=1b = -1.

But for b=1b = -1, f(x)=x2xf(x) = x^2 - x, f(0)=0f(0) = 0, f(1)=11=0f(1) = 1 - 1 = 0, f(f(0))f(1)=00=0f(f(0)) - f(1) = 0 - 0 = 0, which is a perfect square.

Check f(f(2))f(1)f(f(2)) - f(1):

f(2)=42=2f(2) = 4 - 2 = 2

f(f(2))=f(2)=2f(f(2)) = f(2) = 2

f(1)=0f(1) = 0

So f(f(2))f(1)=20=2f(f(2)) - f(1) = 2 - 0 = 2, not a perfect square.

So b=1b = -1 does not work.

Therefore, there is no function f:ZNf: \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{N} of the form x2+bxx^2 + b x that satisfies both conditions.

Therefore, there is no function f:ZNf: \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{N} satisfying both conditions, unless N\mathbb{N} includes 00 and f(1)=1f(1) = 1.

But in all cases, the second condition fails for some xx.

Therefore, the answer is:

There is no function f:ZNf: \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{N} satisfying both conditions.

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