Olympiad Maths Prep

Library / /14 of 21

, 2007

Algebra Difficulty 8.6 Shortlist Prove it IMO

Consider those functions f:NNf: \mathbb{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{N} which satisfy the condition
f(m+n)f(m)+f(f(n))1 f(m+n) \geq f(m)+f(f(n))-1
for all m,nNm, n \in \mathbb{N}. Find all possible values of f(2007)f(2007).

(N\mathbb{N} denotes the set of all positive integers.)

Solution

Suppose that a function f:NNf: \mathbb{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{N} satisfies (1). For arbitrary positive integers m>nm>n, by (1) we have
f(m)=f(n+(mn))f(n)+f(f(mn))1f(n), f(m)=f(n+(m-n)) \geq f(n)+f(f(m-n))-1 \geq f(n),
so ff is nondecreasing.

Function f1f \equiv 1 is an obvious solution. To find other solutions, assume that f≢1f \not \equiv 1 and take the smallest aNa \in \mathbb{N} such that f(a)>1f(a)>1. Then f(b)f(a)>1f(b) \geq f(a)>1 for all integer bab \geq a.

Suppose that f(n)>nf(n)>n for some nNn \in \mathbb{N}. Then we have
f(f(n))=f((f(n)n)+n)f(f(n)n)+f(f(n))1 f(f(n))=f((f(n)-n)+n) \geq f(f(n)-n)+f(f(n))-1
so f(f(n)n)1f(f(n)-n) \leq 1 and hence f(n)n<af(n)-n<a. Then there exists a maximal value of the expression f(n)nf(n)-n; denote this value by cc, and let f(k)k=c1f(k)-k=c \geq 1. Applying the monotonicity together with (1), we get
2k+cf(2k)=f(k+k)f(k)+f(f(k))1f(k)+f(k)1=2(k+c)1=2k+(2c1), \begin{aligned} 2 k+c \geq f(2 k)=f(k+k) & \geq f(k)+f(f(k))-1 \\ & \geq f(k)+f(k)-1=2(k+c)-1=2 k+(2 c-1), \end{aligned}
hence c1c \leq 1 and f(n)n+1f(n) \leq n+1 for all nNn \in \mathbb{N}. In particular, f(2007)2008f(2007) \leq 2008.

Now we present a family of examples showing that all values from 1 to 2008 can be realized. Let
fj(n)=max{1,n+j2007} for j=1,2,,2007;f2008(n)={n,2007n,n+1,2007n. f_{j}(n)=\max \{1, n+j-2007\} \quad \text{ for } j=1,2, \ldots, 2007 ; \quad f_{2008}(n)= \begin{cases}n, & 2007 \nmid n, \\ n+1, & 2007 \mid n .\end{cases}
We show that these functions satisfy the condition (1) and clearly fj(2007)=jf_{j}(2007)=j.

To check the condition (1) for the function fj(j2007)f_{j}(j \leq 2007), note first that fjf_{j} is nondecreasing and fj(n)nf_{j}(n) \leq n, hence fj(fj(n))fj(n)nf_{j}\left(f_{j}(n)\right) \leq f_{j}(n) \leq n for all nNn \in \mathbb{N}. Now, if fj(m)=1f_{j}(m)=1, then the inequality (1) is clear since fj(m+n)fj(n)fj(fj(n))=fj(m)+fj(fj(n))1f_{j}(m+n) \geq f_{j}(n) \geq f_{j}\left(f_{j}(n)\right)=f_{j}(m)+f_{j}\left(f_{j}(n)\right)-1. Otherwise,
fj(m)+fj(fj(n))1(m+j2007)+n=(m+n)+j2007=fj(m+n). f_{j}(m)+f_{j}\left(f_{j}(n)\right)-1 \leq(m+j-2007)+n=(m+n)+j-2007=f_{j}(m+n) .
In the case j=2008j=2008, clearly n+1f2008(n)nn+1 \geq f_{2008}(n) \geq n for all nNn \in \mathbb{N}; moreover, n+1f2008(f2008(n))n+1 \geq f_{2008}\left(f_{2008}(n)\right) as well. Actually, the latter is trivial if f2008(n)=nf_{2008}(n)=n; otherwise, f2008(n)=n+1f_{2008}(n)=n+1, which implies 2007n+12007 \nmid n+1 and hence n+1=f2008(n+1)=f2008(f2008(n))n+1=f_{2008}(n+1)=f_{2008}\left(f_{2008}(n)\right).

So, if 2007m+n2007 \mid m+n, then
f2008(m+n)=m+n+1=(m+1)+(n+1)1f2008(m)+f2008(f2008(n))1. f_{2008}(m+n)=m+n+1=(m+1)+(n+1)-1 \geq f_{2008}(m)+f_{2008}\left(f_{2008}(n)\right)-1 .
Otherwise, 2007m+n2007 \nmid m+n, hence 2007m2007 \nmid m or 2007n2007 \nmid n. In the former case we have f2008(m)=mf_{2008}(m)=m, while in the latter one f2008(f2008(n))=f2008(n)=nf_{2008}\left(f_{2008}(n)\right)=f_{2008}(n)=n, providing
f2008(m)+f2008(f2008(n))1(m+n+1)1=f2008(m+n). f_{2008}(m)+f_{2008}\left(f_{2008}(n)\right)-1 \leq(m+n+1)-1=f_{2008}(m+n) \text{.}

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