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Algebra Difficulty 6.4 National Olympiad Prove it Iran

Find all increasing functions f:R+{0}R+{0}f: \mathbb{R}^+ \cup \{0\} \to \mathbb{R}^+ \cup \{0\}, such that for every x,yR+{0}x, y \in \mathbb{R}^+ \cup \{0\} we have
f(x+f(x)2+y)=2xf(x)+f(f(y)) f\left(\frac{x + f(x)}{2} + y\right) = 2x - f(x) + f(f(y))
(note that ff is not necessarily strictly increasing.)

Solution

Suppose that f(0)=af(0) = a. Let x=y=0x = y = 0, we have
f(a2)=f(a)a f\left(\frac{a}{2}\right) = f(a) - a
Let x=a2,y=0x = \frac{a}{2}, y = 0, we have
f(f(a)a22)=2a f\left(\frac{f(a) - \frac{a}{2}}{2}\right) = 2a
Let x=a,y=0x = a, y = 0, we have
f(f(a)+a2)=2a f\left(\frac{f(a) + a}{2}\right) = 2a

Since ff is increasing, so for every f(a)a2tf(a)+a2\frac{f(a)-a}{2} \le t \le \frac{f(a)+a}{2} we have f(t)=2af(t) = 2a.
Hence f(f(a)+a2)=2af(\frac{f(a)+a}{2}) = 2a. From the other hand by letting x=y=a2x = y = \frac{a}{2}, we have
f(f(a)+a22)=2af(a)+f(f(a)a) f(\frac{f(a)+\frac{a}{2}}{2}) = 2a - f(a) + f(f(a) - a)
Hence we have
2a=2af(a)+f(f(a)a)f(a)=f(f(a)a) 2a = 2a - f(a) + f(f(a) - a) \Rightarrow f(a) = f(f(a) - a)
Letting x=0,y=a2x = 0, y = \frac{a}{2} in the main equation results in
f(a)=a+f(f(a)a)a=0a=0f(0)=0 f(a) = -a + f(f(a) - a) \Rightarrow -a = 0 \Rightarrow a = 0 \Rightarrow f(0) = 0
Now letting x=0x = 0 in the main equation results in
f(y)=f(f(y)) f(y) = f(f(y))
Then let x=yx = y, and we have
f(32x+12f(x))=2xf(x)+f(f(x))=2x f(\frac{3}{2}x + \frac{1}{2}f(x)) = 2x - f(x) + f(f(x)) = 2x
So ff is surjective. Hence in the equation f(y)=f(f(y))f(y) = f(f(y)), f(y)f(y) can be all values in domain, so ff is the identity function.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.