Let be a function such that its 2-fold composition is equal to the floor function, i.e. , for any real number . Prove that there exist distinct real numbers and such that .
Solutions — 2
Solution 1
We claim that , for any integer . Indeed, write to derive that for any integer , implying .
Suppose that for all we have . Then , for any integer . Since both and are integers we derive that , hence , for any integer . It follows that , a contradiction.
Solution 2
Notice that , otherwise , false. If , we are done; if else, from we obtain . The distinct numbers and fulfill the claim.
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