Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / Singapur /17 of 23

Singapur, 2015

Algebra Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it Singapore

Find all functions f:R→Rf: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}, where R\mathbb{R} is the set of real numbers, such that
f(x)f(yf(x)−1)=x2f(y)−f(x)for all x,y∈R. f(x)f(yf(x)-1) = x^2f(y) - f(x) \quad \text{for all } x, y \in \mathbb{R}.

Solution

The constant function f(x)=0f(x) = 0 is a solution.
Let ff be a solution that is not identically 00. We shall show that f(x)=xf(x) = x for all xx. Letting x=0x = 0 in the given equation, we get
f(0)[f(yf(0)−1)+1]=0. f(0)[f(yf(0) - 1) + 1] = 0.
Suppose f(0)≠0f(0) \neq 0. Let x=yf(0)−1x = yf(0) - 1. As yy ranges over all real numbers, so does xx. Thus we get f(x)=−1f(x) = -1 for all xx. But this does not satisfy the given equation. So f(0)=0f(0) = 0.
Now suppose that f(a)=0f(a) = 0 for some a≠0a \neq 0. Then the original equation becomes 0=a2f(y)0 = a^2f(y) for all yy, implying that f(y)=0f(y) = 0 for all yy. This contradicts our assumption that ff is not identically 00. Thus f(x)=0f(x) = 0 iff x=0x = 0.
Letting x=y=1x = y = 1 in the given equation, we have f(f(1)−1)=0f(f(1) - 1) = 0. Thus f(1)=1f(1) = 1. When x=1x = 1, the original equation becomes

f(x)f(f(x))=x2(2) f(x)f(f(x)) = x^2 \qquad (2)
Now replace xx by x−1x-1 in (2) and apply (1) 3 times, and finally apply (2)
(x−1)2=f(x−1)f(f(x−1))=(f(x)−1)[f(f(x)−1)]x2−2x+1=(f(x)−1)[f(f(x))−1]=f(x)f(f(x))−f(x)−f(f(x))+1=x2−f(x)−f(f(x))+1 \begin{aligned} (x-1)^2 &= f(x-1)f(f(x-1)) = (f(x)-1)[f(f(x)-1)] \\ x^2 - 2x + 1 &= (f(x)-1)[f(f(x))-1] = f(x)f(f(x)) - f(x) - f(f(x)) + 1 \\ &= x^2 - f(x) - f(f(x)) + 1 \end{aligned}
Therefore
f(x)+f(f(x))=2x.(3) f(x) + f(f(x)) = 2x. \qquad (3)
Eliminating f(f(x))f(f(x)) from (2) and (3) gives
[x−f(x)]2=0, [x - f(x)]^2 = 0,
so that f(x)=xf(x) = x, as claimed. It is clear that this is also a solution.

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