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Algebra Difficulty 8.6 Shortlist Prove it Baltic Way

Find all kZk \in \mathbb{Z} such that there exists a function f:ZZf : \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z} satisfying
f(f(n))=n+k f(f(n)) = n + k
for all nZn \in \mathbb{Z}.

Solution

If kZk \in \mathbb{Z} is even then for f:ZZf : \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z}, f(x)=x+k2f(x) = x + \frac{k}{2} we get:
f(f(n))=(n+k2)+k2=n+k f(f(n)) = \left(n + \frac{k}{2}\right) + \frac{k}{2} = n + k
For kk even it is therefore possible to find function f:ZZf : \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z} with the property that f(f(n))=n+kf(f(n)) = n + k for all nZn \in \mathbb{Z}. It can therefore be assumed that kk is odd, in particular kk is non-zero.
For all nZn \in \mathbb{Z} we get following:
f(n)n=(f(n)+k)(n+k)=f(f(f(n)))(n+k)=f(n+k)(n+k) f(n) - n = (f(n) + k) - (n + k) = f(f(f(n))) - (n + k) = f(n + k) - (n + k)
Using induction it can be shown that f(n+mk)(n+mk)=f(n)nf(n + m \cdot k) - (n + m \cdot k) = f(n) - n for all mNm \in \mathbb{N}. If p,qZp, q \in \mathbb{Z}, and pq(mod k)p \equiv q(\text{mod } |k|) then there is a natural number mm such that p=q+mkp = q + m \cdot k or q=p+mkq = p + m \cdot k. In either case f(m)m=f(n)nf(m) - m = f(n) - n,
equivalently f(m)f(n)=mnf(m) - f(n) = m - n. As mn(modk)m \equiv n \pmod{|k|}, f(m)f(n)=mn0(modk)f(m) - f(n) = m - n \equiv 0 \pmod{|k|}, that is f(m)f(n)(modk)f(m) \equiv f(n) \pmod{|k|}.
If mZm \in \mathbb{Z}, f(f(mk))=(mk)+k=mf(f(m-k)) = (m-k)+k = m so mm is in the image of ff. As mm is arbitrary this means that ff is surjective. If m,nZm, n \in \mathbb{Z} and f(m)=f(n)f(m) = f(n), we get:
m=(m+k)k=f(f(m))k=f(f(n))k=(n+k)k=n, m = (m + k) - k = f(f(m)) - k = f(f(n)) - k = (n + k) - k = n,
that is ff is injective. As ff is both injective and surjective it is bijective. Assume m,nZm, n \in \mathbb{Z} and f(m)f(n)(modk)f(m) \equiv f(n) \pmod{|k|}. Then
mm+kf(f(m))f(f(n))n+kn(modk) m \equiv m + k \equiv f(f(m)) \equiv f(f(n)) \equiv n + k \equiv n \pmod{|k|}
Let h:{0,1,,k1}{0,1,,k1}:x(f(x)(modk))h : \{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\} \to \{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\} : x \mapsto (f(x) \pmod{|k|}). From last equation we infer that hh is injective. As
h(h(n))=f(f(n)(modk))(modk)=f(f(n))(modk)=(n+k)(modk)=n h(h(n)) = f(f(n) \pmod{|k|}) \pmod{|k|} = f(f(n)) \pmod{|k|} = (n + k) \pmod{|k|} = n
for all n{0,1,,k1}n \in \{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\}. That is hh is an involution and we see that hh is bijective. Assume hh has a fixed point n0n_0. As n0=h(n0)=f(n0)(modk)n_0 = h(n_0) = f(n_0) \pmod{|k|} we conclude that f(n0)n0=mkf(n_0) - n_0 = m \cdot |k| where mZm \in \mathbb{Z}.
It has already been shown that f(n0+mk)(n0+mk)=f(n0)n0=mkf(n_0 + m \cdot |k|) - (n_0 + m \cdot |k|) = f(n_0) - n_0 = m \cdot |k| so:
k=f(f(n0))n0=(f(f(n0))f(n0))+(f(n0)n0)=(f(n0+mk)(n0+mk))+mk=mk+mk=2mk \begin{aligned} k &= f(f(n_0)) - n_0 \\ &= (f(f(n_0)) - f(n_0)) + (f(n_0) - n_0) \\ &= (f(n_0 + m \cdot |k|) - (n_0 + m \cdot |k|)) + m \cdot |k| \\ &= m \cdot |k| + m \cdot |k| \\ &= 2 \cdot m |k| \end{aligned}
This implies k=2mk|k| = 2|m||k|. As k0k \neq 0 we get 2m=12|m| = 1 which is impossible as 1 is odd. The assumption that n0n_0 is a fixed point of hh must therefore be false.
Given nZn \in \mathbb{Z} h(n)nh(n) \neq n and h(h(n))=nh(h(n)) = n so the sets {n,h(n)}\{n, h(n)\} and {h(n),h(h(n))}\{h(n), h(h(n))\} are equal and each contains two distinct elements. Now
{0,1,,k1}={{n,h(n)}n{0,1,,k1}}. \{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\} = \bigcup \{\{n, h(n)\} | n \in \{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\}\}.
As each subset of A:={{n,h(n)}n{0,1,,k1}}A := \{\{n, h(n)\} | n \in \{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\}\} contains two elements it follows that the union A={0,1,,k1}\bigcup A = \{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\} contains an even number of elements. The cardinality of {0,1,,k1}\{0, 1, \dots, |k| - 1\} is k|k| which is odd and we get a contradiction. This shows that if kk is odd there is no function f:ZZf : \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z} such that f(f(n))=n+kf(f(n)) = n + k for all nZn \in \mathbb{Z}.
Function f:ZZf : \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z} satisfying f(f(n))=n+kf(f(n)) = n + k for all nZn \in \mathbb{Z} can therefore be found if and only if kk is even. \square

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