Find all functions f:R+×R+→R+ that satisfy the following conditions for all positive real numbers x,y,z f(f(x,y),z)=x2y2f(x,z),f(x,1+f(x,y))≥x2+xyf(x,x).(→p.57)
Solution
* The function g(x)=f(x,1) is bijective. Assume that a,b are two positive numbers with f(a,1)=f(b,1). By comparing P(a,1,1), P(b,1,1) we obtain a2f(a,1)=f(f(a,1),1)=f(f(b,1),1)=b2f(b,1)⟹a=b. So f(a,1) is injective. Also P(1,y,1):f(f(1,y),1)=y2f(1,1). The RHS of the above equation can be any positive real number, so f(a,1) is surjective. * The function h(x)=f(1,x) is bijective. Note that for any positive real number t, we have P1,yf(1,1)f(t,1),1:f(f(1,y),1)=f(t,1). According to the previous claim, we must have h(y)=f(1,y)=t so h(x) is surjective. Now P(1,1,1):f(f(1,1),1)=f(1,1)⟹f(1,1)=1. Now if for some positive numbers a,b we have f(1,a)=f(1,b), by comparing P(1,a,1), P(1,b,1) we obtain a2=f(f(1,a),1)=f(f(1,b),1)=b2⟹a=b. So h(x) is injective. We have P(1,y,z):f(f(1,y),z)=y2f(1,z), And also had P(1,y,1):f(f(1,y),1)=y2. So we obtain f(h(y),z)=f(f(1,y),z)=y2f(1,z)=g(h(y))h(z). ∀a,z∈R+:f(a,z)=g(a)h(z). Now using the above equation, we rewrite the first assertion P(x,y,z) and get g(g(x)h(y))=x2y2g(x),g(1)=h(1)=1 Now set y=1 to get g(g(x))=x2g(x), also we had g(h(y))=y2, so we can rewrite the above equation as g(g(x)h(y))=g(g(x))g(h(y))are surjective⟹g,h∀x,y∈R+:g(xy)=g(x)g(y). We can also get g(h(y))=y2g(g(x))=x2g(x)⟹is injective⟹g⟹⟹⟹⟹g(h(xy))=x2y2=g(h(x))g(h(y))=g(h(x)h(y)),h(xy)=h(x)h(y).g(g(h(x)))=h(x)2g(h(x))),g(x2)=x2h(x2)=x2h(x2),∀x∈R+:g(x)=xh(x),h(y)h(h(y))=y2. Now rewrite Q(x,y) h(x+x2h(xy))≥x+xyh(x)2. Set y→xy to get h(x+x2h(y))≥x+yh(x)2⟹h(1+xh(y))≥h(x)x+yh(x). Note that h(1)=h(x)h(x1), so h(x1)=h(x)1. Set x=h(y)1 above to get h(2)≥h(y)h(h(y))+h(h(y))y≥2h(y)y⟹∃c∈R+:h(y)≥cy. Also since h(xy)=h(x)h(y), we obtain h(xn)=h(x)n, for all positive integers n. Therefore h(y)n⟹y2⟹f(x,y)=h(yn)≥cyn⟹h(y)≥ncy⟹n→∞h(y)≥y=h(y)h(h(y))≥y2⟹h(y)=y⟹g(x)=x2=g(x)h(y)=x2y So f(x,y)=x2y is the only answer of the problem which is indeed a solution. ■
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.