Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /249 of 299

Algebra Difficulty 7.3 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Iran

Suppose that 2n2 \le n and a1,,ana_1, \dots, a_n are natural numbers such that gcd(a1,,an)=1\text{gcd}(a_1, \dots, a_n) = 1. Find all strictly increasing functions f:ZRf: \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{R} with the following property:
x1,,xnZ:f(i=1nxiai)=i=1nf(xiai). \forall x_1, \dots, x_n \in \mathbb{Z} : f\left(\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i a_i\right) = \sum_{i=1}^{n} f(x_i a_i).

Solution

Let Di=gcd(a1,,ai1,ai+1,,ak)D_i = \text{gcd}(a_1, \dots, a_{i-1}, a_{i+1}, \dots, a_k) (i=1,,ki = 1, \dots, k). Then f(x)=Cx+f1(x)++fk(x)f(x) = Cx + f_1(x) + \dots + f_k(x) such that f1,,fkf_1, \dots, f_k are periodic of period DiD_i and fi(0)=0f_i(0) = 0. Let P=a1akP = a_1 \dots a_k then if f(P)=0f(P) = 0 it follows that for all iji \neq j and m0m \ge 0 we have f(maiaj)=0f(ma_i a_j) = 0. Indeed, letting M=f(a1a2)M = f(a_1 a_2) then f(2a1a2)=2Mf(2a_1 a_2) = 2M, f(3a1a2)=3Mf(3a_1 a_2) = 3M. By induction we find f(ma1a2)=mMf(ma_1 a_2) = mM. Choose m=a2akm = a_2 \dots a_k we are done.
Let g(x)=f(x)xf(P)Pg(x) = f(x) - \frac{x f(P)}{P} it follows that g(P)=0g(P) = 0 and therefore, for all iji \neq j, m0m \ge 0 we have g(maiaj)=0g(ma_i a_j) = 0. Writing C=f(P)PC = \frac{f(P)}{P} it follows that f(x)=Cx+g(x)f(x) = Cx + g(x).
If for a given ii we have j=1kujajj=1kvjaj(modDi)\sum_{j=1}^{k} u_j a_j \equiv \sum_{j=1}^{k} v_j a_j \pmod{D_i} with ui0u_i \ge 0, vi0v_i \ge 0 then g(uiai)=g(viai)g(u_i a_i) = g(v_i a_i). It suffices to prove it for i=1i = 1. Indeed, the congruence implies that u1a1v1a1(modD1)u_1 a_1 \equiv v_1 a_1 \pmod{D_1}, since gcd(a1,D1)=1\text{gcd}(a_1, D_1) = 1 we conclude that u1v1(modD1)u_1 \equiv v_1 \pmod{D_1}. Since D1=gcd(a2,,ak)D_1 = \text{gcd}(a_2, \dots, a_k), write
v1u1=j=2kwjaj v_1 - u_1 = \sum_{j=2}^{k} w_j a_j
where wj=cjcjw_j = c_j - c'_j, cj,cj0c_j, c'_j \ge 0. Thus,
u1+j=2kcjaj=v1+j=2kcjaj. u_1 + \sum_{j=2}^{k} c_j a_j = v_1 + \sum_{j=2}^{k} c'_j a_j.
Multiplying both sides by a1a_1 and taking gg from both sides yields
g(u1a1)+j=2kg(cja1aj)=g(v1a1)+j=2kg(cja1aj). g(u_1 a_1) + \sum_{j=2}^{k} g(c_j a_1 a_j) = g(v_1 a_1) + \sum_{j=2}^{k} g(c'_j a_1 a_j).
Thus, g(u1a1)=g(v1a1)g(u_1 a_1) = g(v_1 a_1).
For every x=aiuiSx = \sum a_i u_i \in S we define a function f1(x)=g(a1u1)f_1(x) = g(a_1 u_1). If xSx \in S can be written x=aiuix = \sum a_i u_i and also x=aiuix = \sum a_i u'_i then g(a1u1)=g(a1u1)g(a_1 u_1) = g(a_1 u'_1). Moreover, if x,zx, z both are in SS such that xz(modD1)x \equiv z \pmod{D_1} then we have f1(x)=f1(z)f_1(x) = f_1(z). We finally observe that every residue class modD1\mod D_1 contains elements in SS, in fact already elements of the subset a1u1a_1 u_1 (u10u_1 \ge 0), because gcd(a1,D1)=1\text{gcd}(a_1, D_1) = 1. We may therefore extend the definition of f1(x)f_1(x) to all integers obtaining a function having the period D1D_1. Similarly, we define a function fi(x)f_i(x) (i=1,,ki = 1, \dots, k) over all integers, having the period DiD_i with the property that fi(x)=g(aiui)f_i(x) = g(a_i u_i) if x=aiuiSx = \sum a_i u_i \in S.
And, in particular fi(0)=0f_i(0) = 0. If x=aiuiSx = \sum a_i u_i \in S then the functional equation gives
g(x)=g(aiui)=g(aiui)=fi(x). g(x) = g(\sum a_i u_i) = \sum g(a_i u_i) = \sum f_i(x).
Hence, g(x)=f1(x)++fk(x)g(x) = f_1(x) + \dots + f_k(x). We now use this to extend the definition of g(x)g(x) to all integers xx. Let us show that this implies g(aiui)=fi(aiui)g(a_i u_i) = f_i(a_i u_i). Indeed, if ui0u_i \ge 0 we have nothing to do. If ui<0u_i < 0 then we shall have g(aiui)=fi(aiui)=fi(aiui)g(a_i u_i) = \sum f_i(a_i u_i) = f_i(a_i u_i). It follows that g(x)g(x) satisfies the unrestricted equation
g(aiui)=g(aiui),uiZ. g(\sum a_i u_i) = \sum g(a_i u_i), \quad u_i \in \mathbb{Z}.
The converse is also easy. Indeed, the periodic function fi(x)f_i(x) depends on Di1D_i - 1 arbitrary parameters and therefore the general solution depends on 1+(Di1)1 + \sum (D_i - 1) arbitrary parameters. So, if all Di=1D_i = 1 the function is f(x)=Cxf(x) = Cx.
The least slope among the slopes of the sides of the polygonal graph of the function fi(x)(xZ)f_i(x)(x \in \mathbb{Z}) is given by mi=minxZΔfi(x)-m_i = \min_{x \in \mathbb{Z}} \Delta f_i(x), where Δfi(x)=fi(x+1)fi(x)\Delta f_i(x) = f_i(x+1) - f_i(x). Evidently, mi0m_i \ge 0. If we choose CmiC \ge \sum m_i then f(x)f(x) is certainly non-decreasing since for all x:Δf(x)=C+Δfi(x)Cmi0x: \Delta f(x) = C + \sum \Delta f_i(x) \ge C - \sum m_i \ge 0.
We then prove that the solution of the above functional equation is non-decreasing if and only if i=1kmiC\sum_{i=1}^k m_i \le C. Indeed, let the minimum of Δfi(x)\Delta f_i(x) is reached at xci(modDi)x \equiv c_i \pmod{D_i} so that Δfi(ci)=mi\Delta f_i(c_i) = -m_i (i=1,,ki = 1, \dots, k). Since DiD_i are pair-wise coprime. By the CRT the system xci(modD1)x \equiv c_i \pmod{D_1} has a solution tt. Then, 0Δf(t)=C+Δfi(t)=Ci=1kmi0 \le \Delta f(t) = C + \sum \Delta f_i(t) = C - \sum_{i=1}^k m_i. ■

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.