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Algebra Difficulty 6.3 National olympiad Prove it Iran

Find all functions f:Q[X]Rf : \mathbb{Q}[X] \to \mathbb{R} such that for all polynomials P(x)P(x) and Q(x)Q(x) in Q[X]\mathbb{Q}[X];
i. f(P(Q(x)))=f(Q(P(x)))f(P(Q(x))) = f(Q(P(x)));
ii. f(P(x)Q(x))=f(P(x))+f(Q(x))f(P(x)Q(x)) = f(P(x)) + f(Q(x)), where P(x)Q(x)0P(x)Q(x) \neq 0.

Solution

Let P(x)P(x) be a non-zero polynomial and d=degPd = \deg P. We shall prove that f(P(x))=Cdf(P(x)) = Cd, for some constant CC, furthermore f(0)=0f(0) = 0. It is easy to check that such a function properly works.
Letting (P(x),Q(x))=(P(x),1)(P(x), Q(x)) = (P(x), 1), (b,P(x))(b, P(x)) in the second equation as well as (P(x),Q(x))=(a,1)(P(x), Q(x)) = (a, 1) in the first equation for some non-zero constants a,ba, b we conclude that f(a)=0f(a) = 0 and f(bP(x))=f(P(x))f(bP(x)) = f(P(x)). Letting (P(x),Q(x))=(bx,xb+1)(P(x), Q(x)) = (bx, \frac{x}{b}+1) to obtain f(x+b)=f(x+1)f(x+b) = f(x+1) for all b0b \neq 0. Let c,dc, d be two arbitrary real numbers such that cd0cd \neq 0 it follows that
f(x+dc)=f(c(x+dc))=f(cx+d)=f(x+1). f\left(x + \frac{d}{c}\right) = f\left(c\left(x + \frac{d}{c}\right)\right) = f(cx + d) = f(x + 1).
Finally, letting (P(x),Q(x))=(cx,x1c)(P(x), Q(x)) = (cx, x - \frac{1}{c}) for some c0,1c \neq 0, 1 in the first equation yields
f(x)=f(cx)=f(cx+11c)=f(x+1). f(x) = f(cx) = f\left(cx + 1 - \frac{1}{c}\right) = f(x + 1).
Hence, if P(x)P(x) is a linear polynomial then f(P(x))=f(x+1)f(P(x)) = f(x+1), i.e., a constant function, say CC. We then finish our proof based on the induction on the degree of polynomial. The base is true for d=0,1d=0, 1. Assume that the statement holds true for all polynomials of degree less than dd. Choose a non-zero rational number rr such that P(r)0P(r) \neq 0. Letting R(x)=rP(r)P(x+r)R(x) = \frac{r}{P(r)}P(x+r) it follows that R(0)=rR(0) = r. Hence, R(x)=r+xS(x)R(x) = r+xS(x), for some polynomial S(x)S(x) of degree d1d-1. Putting (P(x),Q(x))=(R(x),xr)(P(x), Q(x)) = (R(x), x-r) in the first equation yielding
f(R(x)r)=f(xS(x))=f(x)+f(S(x))=f(R(xr))=f(rP(r)P(x))=f(P(x)). \begin{aligned} f(R(x) - r) = f(xS(x)) = f(x) + f(S(x)) &= f(R(x-r)) \\ &= f\left(\frac{r}{P(r)}P(x)\right) = f(P(x)). \end{aligned}
According to the induction hypothesis f(S(x))=C(d1)f(S(x)) = C(d-1) and f(x)=Cf(x) = C. Hence,
f(P(x))=Cd. f(P(x)) = Cd.

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