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Algebra Difficulty 5.8 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

Let g:RRg : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R} be a continuous, decreasing function, such that g(R)=(,0)g(\mathbb{R}) = (-\infty, 0). Prove that there are no continuous functions f:RRf : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R} such that the equality fff=gf \circ f \circ \dots \circ f = g is true for some integer k2k \ge 2.

Solution

Suppose that such a function ff exists. Injectivity of gg implies the injectivity of the continuous function ff, which in turn is strictly monotone. As gg is increasing we conclude that ff is increasing and kk is an odd number. Moreover, ff is not surjective.

Denote by f[k]=ffff^{[k]} = f \circ f \circ \dots \circ f (kk times ff). Because f(R)f(\mathbb{R}) is an interval with (,0)=g(R)=f(fk1(R))f(R)(-\infty, 0) = g(\mathbb{R}) = f(f^{k-1}(\mathbb{R})) \subset f(\mathbb{R}), we deduce ff is bounded from above.

Let mRm \in \mathbb{R} be such that f(x)<m,xRf(x) < m, \forall x \in \mathbb{R}. Then f[k1](x)<mf^{[k-1]}(x) < m, for all xRx \in \mathbb{R}, so g(x)=f(f[k1](x))>f(m)g(x) = f(f^{[k-1]}(x)) > f(m), for all xRx \in \mathbb{R}, in contradiction with g(R)=(,0)g(\mathbb{R}) = (-\infty, 0).

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