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Algebra Difficulty 7.4 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it South Africa

Find all functions f:ZZf : \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z} such that
f(a3)+f(b3)+f(c3)+3f(a+b)f(b+c)f(c+a)=(f(a+b+c))3 f(a^3) + f(b^3) + f(c^3) + 3f(a+b)f(b+c)f(c+a) = (f(a+b+c))^3
for all a,b,cZa, b, c \in \mathbb{Z}.

Solution

Suppose ff satisfies the condition.
By taking (a,b,c)=(0,0,0)(a, b, c) = (0, 0, 0), we get 3f(0)+3f(0)3=f(0)33f(0) + 3f(0)^3 = f(0)^3, so that either f(0)=0f(0) = 0, or 3=2f(0)23 = -2f(0)^2. The latter is not possible in Z\mathbb{Z}, so we must have f(0)=0f(0) = 0.
By taking (a,b,c)=(n,n,0)(a, b, c) = (n, -n, 0), we get f(n3)+f(n3)=0f(n^3) + f(-n^3) = 0, resulting in
f(n3)=f(n3) for all nZ.(1) f(-n^3) = -f(n^3) \text{ for all } n \in \mathbb{Z}. \qquad (1)
By taking (a,b,c)=(n,0,0)(a, b, c) = (n, 0, 0), we get
f(n3)=f(n)3 for all nZ.(2) f(n^3) = f(n)^3 \text{ for all } n \in \mathbb{Z}. \qquad (2)
By combining (1) and (2), we see that, for any nZn \in \mathbb{Z},
f(n)3=f((n)3)=f(n3)=f(n3)=f(n)3=(f(n))3, f(-n)^3 = f((-n)^3) = f(-n^3) = -f(n^3) = -f(n)^3 = (-f(n))^3,
so that f(n)=f(n)f(-n) = -f(n), i.e., ff is an odd function.
Now take (a,b,c)=(k,1k,0)(a, b, c) = (k, 1-k, 0), so that
f(k)3+f(1k)3+3f(k)f(1k)f(1)=f(1)3 for all kZ.(3) f(k)^3 + f(1-k)^3 + 3f(k)f(1-k)f(1) = f(1)^3 \text{ for all } k \in \mathbb{Z}. \qquad (3)
Also, from (2), f(1)=f(1)3f(1) = f(1)^3, so that f(1){1,0,1}f(1) \in \{-1, 0, 1\}.
First, if f(1)=0f(1) = 0, then from (3), f(k)=f(1k)=f(k1)f(k) = -f(1-k) = f(k-1) for all kZk \in \mathbb{Z}, so that f(n)=0f(n) = 0 for all nZn \in \mathbb{Z} (using induction and the fact that ff is odd).
Second, if f(1)=1f(1) = 1, then from (3), f(k)3+f(1k)3+3f(k)f(1k)=1f(k)^3 + f(1-k)^3 + 3f(k)f(1-k) = 1, for all kZk \in \mathbb{Z}, i.e., the Diophantine equation X3+Y3+3XY=1X^3 + Y^3 + 3XY = 1 is satisfied by (X,Y)=(f(k),f(1k))(X, Y) = (f(k), f(1-k)). This equation can be rewritten as (X+Y1)(X2XY+Y2+X+Y+1)=0(X + Y - 1)(X^2 - XY + Y^2 + X + Y + 1) = 0. Note that X2XY+Y2+X+Y+1=0X^2 - XY + Y^2 + X + Y + 1 = 0 is only solvable in Z\mathbb{Z} if X=Y=1X = Y = -1 (otherwise the discriminant is negative when considered as a quadratic in XX). So there are two options here:

1. f(k)=1f(1k)=1+f(k1)f(k) = 1 - f(1-k) = 1 + f(k-1) for all kZk \in \mathbb{Z}. Then it follows immediately by induction and the fact that ff is odd that f(n)=nf(n) = n for all nZn \in \mathbb{Z}.
2. There is some k0Zk_0 \in \mathbb{Z} such that f(k0)=f(1k0)=1f(k_0) = f(1-k_0) = -1. Then f(k0)=1=1f(1+k0)f(-k_0) = 1 = 1 - f(1+k_0) implies that f(1+k0)=0f(1+k_0) = 0. Hence, by using (a,b,c)=(1+k0,1k0,1)(a, b, c) = (1+k_0, 1-k_0, -1) in the functional equation, we get that 011+3f(2)(1)(1)=10 - 1 - 1 + 3f(2)(-1)(1) = 1, so that f(2)=1f(2) = -1. Thus k0=2k_0 = 2 is the smallest positive value of k0k_0 with the property that f(k0)=1=f(1k0)f(k_0) = -1 = f(1-k_0). We have therefore established the base case of the proof by induction that (f(3k),f(3k+1),f(3k+2))=(0,1,1)(f(3k), f(3k+1), f(3k+2)) = (0, 1, -1) for all k0k \ge 0. Assume now that this statement is true for some k0k \ge 0. Then, from f(3k2)=1=1f(1+3k+2)f(-3k-2) = 1 = 1 - f(1+3k+2), we find that f(3+3k)=f(3(k+1))=0f(3+3k) = f(3(k+1)) = 0. Using (a,b,c)=(3k,1,3)(a, b, c) = (3k, 1, 3) in the functional equation (and recalling that f(3)=f(1+2)=f(1+k0)=0f(3) = f(1+2) = f(1+k_0) = 0), we get 0+1+0+3(0)(1)(0)=f(3k+4)30 + 1 + 0 + 3(0)(1)(0) = f(3k+4)^3, so that f(3k+4)=f(3(k+1)+1)=1f(3k+4) = f(3(k+1)+1) = 1. Similarly, with (a,b,c)=(3k,2,3)(a, b, c) = (3k, 2, 3), we see that f(3k+5)=f(3(k+1)+2)=1f(3k+5) = f(3(k+1)+2) = -1, and the induction is complete. It follows now from the fact that ff is odd that (f(3k),f(3k+1),f(3k+2))=(0,1,1)(f(3k), f(3k+1), f(3k+2)) = (0, 1, -1) for all kZk \in \mathbb{Z}, i.e.,
f(n)={0if n0(mod3)1if n1(mod3),for all nZ.1if n2(mod3)(4) f(n) = \begin{cases} 0 & \text{if } n \equiv 0 \pmod{3} \\ 1 & \text{if } n \equiv 1 \pmod{3}, & \text{for all } n \in \mathbb{Z}. \\ -1 & \text{if } n \equiv 2 \pmod{3} \end{cases} \quad (4)
Finally, the observation that whenever ff satisfies the equation then f-f also satisfies the equation, takes care of the case f(1)=1f(1) = -1.
It is straightforward to check that the three functions f(n)=0f(n) = 0, f(n)=nf(n) = n and f(n)=nf(n) = -n (for all nZn \in \mathbb{Z}) satisfy the given functional equation. The function (4) requires a little more effort (and time) to check, but offers no difficulty. Its negative then follows automatically. We conclude that there are five functions that solve the equation, as described above.

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