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Algebra Difficulty 7.5 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Italy

Problem:

A sequence {xnn=0,1,2,}\{x_{n} \mid n=0,1,2, \ldots\} of real numbers is defined, as the real parameter aa varies, as follows:
{x0=axn+1=2xn2 for n1 \left\{ \begin{array}{l} x_{0}=a \\ x_{n+1}=2-x_{n}^{2} \quad \text{ for } n \geq 1 \end{array} \right.

a. Find all values of aa for which xnx_{n} is constant (that is, xn=ax_{n}=a holds for all nn).

b. Prove that for one of the values found in part (a) (which we will call yy) it holds that, if a<y,xn<y|a|<|y|,\left|x_{n}\right|<|y| for all nn.

c. Prove that, if a>y,xn|a|>|y|, x_{n} is strictly decreasing.

Solution

Solution:

a. If xnx_{n} must be constant, then in particular it must hold that
x1=x0=a. x_{1}=x_{0}=a.
But then
a=x1=2x02=2a2, a=x_{1}=2-x_{0}^{2}=2-a^{2},
so aa must satisfy the equation
a2+a2=0 a^{2}+a-2=0
which has as solutions a=2a=-2 and a=1a=1. No other value can make the sequence constant (but a priori we do not yet know whether these actually work).
Let us verify that both of these values do indeed generate a constant sequence: since the sequence is defined by recursion, at this point we will also have
x2=2x12=2a2=a x_{2}=2-x_{1}^{2}=2-a^{2}=a
and, in the same way, x3=ax_{3}=a and so on (we have in fact given a proof by induction, although one so immediate that it does not need the usual formalization).
Therefore the required values are exactly 2-2 and 11.

b. Let us prove that this is true for y=2y=-2. First of all, observe that since the square of a real number can never be negative, we will have xn2x_{n} \leq 2 for every n1n \geq 1; hence, apart from the possible exception of x0=ax_{0}=a, all values of the sequence are smaller than 22.
Suppose now that
a<y=2=2, |a|<|y|=|-2|=2,
we prove by induction on nn that
xn<2 for every n0. \left|x_{n}\right|<2 \text{ for every } n \geq 0.
The base step is exactly the hypothesis (x0=a<2)\left(\left|x_{0}\right|=|a|<2\right).
Assuming the inequality holds for xn1x_{n-1}, we now prove that it also holds for xnx_{n}.
Indeed if xn1<2\left|x_{n-1}\right|<2, evidently xn12<4x_{n-1}^{2}<4; but
xn=2xn12 x_{n}=2-x_{n-1}^{2}
and therefore
2=24<2xn12=xn<2, -2=2-4<2-x_{n-1}^{2}=x_{n}<2,
that is xn<2\left|x_{n}\right|<2, which completes the proof of the inductive step.
Incidentally we observe that the property does not hold instead for the other value from point a), 11: indeed for example if a=0a=0 we have a<1|a|<1, but x1=2a2=2>1\left|x_{1}\right|=\left|2-a^{2}\right|=2>1. One can also show that in fact 2-2 is the only real number that has the property indicated in the question.

c. Suppose now that a>2|a|>2; it will be more convenient to prove by induction on nn the following property, which is stronger than our claim:
 "for every n0,xn>2 and xn+1<xn ".  \text{ "for every } n \geq 0,\left|x_{n}\right|>2 \text{ and } x_{n+1}<x_{n} \text{ ". }
To prove the base step we must show that the inequalities hold in the case n=0n=0. We observe that the first inequality is exactly our hypothesis, so it certainly holds; for the second, instead, let us set c0=a2>0c_{0}=|a|-2>0. Then a=2+c0|a|=2+c_{0} and
x1=2a2=2(2+c0)2=22c0c02<(2+c0)=aa=x0, x_{1}=2-a^{2}=2-\left(2+c_{0}\right)^{2}=-2-2 c_{0}-c_{0}^{2}<-(2+c_{0})=-|a| \leq a=x_{0},
so the base step is proved.
The proof of the inductive step is entirely analogous. For every n1n \geq 1 suppose that the inequalities are satisfied for n1n-1; then we can set cn1=xn12>0c_{n-1}=\left|x_{n-1}\right|-2>0 and derive as above
xn=2xn12=22cn1cn12<(2+cn1)=xn1 x_{n}=2-x_{n-1}^{2}=-2-2 c_{n-1}-c_{n-1}^{2}<-(2+c_{n-1})=-\left|x_{n-1}\right|
(which shows in particular that xn<0x_{n}<0 as soon as n1n \geq 1).
Then on one hand for all n1n \geq 1
xn=xn>xn1>2 \left|x_{n}\right|=-x_{n}>\left|x_{n-1}\right|>2
that is the first inequality to be proved;
on the other hand for n2n \geq 2 (that is, when we know that xn1<0x_{n-1}<0)
xn<xn1=xn1, x_{n}< -\left|x_{n-1}\right|=x_{n-1},
while for n=1n=1 in any case (as we have seen)
xn<xn1xn1, x_{n}< -\left|x_{n-1}\right| \leq x_{n-1},
so the second inequality is also verified for nn as well; and by induction at this point the inequalities hold for all n0n \geq 0, that is, the property is true.
But as we said the property is stronger than our claim, which is therefore also proved.

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