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Algebra Difficulty 6.4 National olympiad Prove it Vietnam

Find all functions ff defined on R\mathbb{R}, taking values in R\mathbb{R} so that
f(f(xy))=f(x)f(y)f(x)+f(y)xy f(f(x - y)) = f(x)f(y) - f(x) + f(y) - xy
for all real numbers x,yx, y.

Solution

Suppose that f:RRf: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R} satisfies the relation in the problem, i.e.
f(f(xy))=f(x)f(y)f(x)+f(y)xy,(1) f(f(x - y)) = f(x)f(y) - f(x) + f(y) - xy, \quad (1)
for all x,yRx, y \in \mathbb{R}.
Put f(0)=af(0) = a
By substituting x=y=0x = y = 0 into (1) we get
f(a)=a2(2) f(a) = a^2 \quad (2)
By substituting x=y=0x = y = 0 into (1), from (2) we get
(f(x))2=x2+a2,xR(3) (f(x))^2 = x^2 + a^2, \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R} \quad (3)
Therefore (f(x))2=(f(x))2xR(f(x))^2 = (f(-x))^2 \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R}, i.e.
(f(x)+f(x))(f(x)f(x))=0,xR(4) (f(x) + f(-x))(f(x) - f(-x)) = 0, \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R} \quad (4)
Suppose that there exist x00x_0 \neq 0 such that f(x0)=f(x0)f(x_0) = f(-x_0).
By substituting y=0y = 0 into (1), we get
f(f(x))=af(x)f(x)+a,xR(5) f(f(x)) = af(x) - f(x) + a, \forall x \in \mathbb{R} \quad (5)
and by substituting x=0,y=xx = 0, y = -x into (1), we get
f(f(x))=af(x)+f(x)a,xR.(6) f(f(x)) = af(-x) + f(-x) - a, \forall x \in \mathbb{R}. \quad (6)
(5) and (6) give
a(f(x)f(x)+f(x)+f(x)=2a,xR.(7) a(f(x) - f(-x) + f(x) + f(-x) = 2a, \forall x \in \mathbb{R}. \quad (7)
By substituting x=x0x = x_0 into (7), we get
f(x0)=a() f(x_0) = a \quad (*)
On the other hand, from (3), we deduce that if f(x1)=f(x2)f(x_1) = f(x_2) then x12=x22x_1^2 = x_2^2. Therefore, (*) implies that x0=0x_0 = 0 which contradicts the supposition that x00x_0 \neq 0. This contradiction proves that f(x)f(x)f(x) \neq f(-x), xR\forall x \in \mathbb{R}. Therefore (4) shows that
f(x)=f(x)x0(8) f(x) = f(-x) \quad \forall x \neq 0 \quad (8)
By substituting (8) into (7), we get
a(f(x)1)=0x0, a(f(x) - 1) = 0 \quad \forall x \neq 0,
and we deduce from it that a=0a = 0, since if a0a \neq 0 then f(x)=1,x0f(x) = 1, \forall x \neq 0 which contradicts (8).
So, from (3), we have
(f(x))2=x2xR(9) (f(x))^2 = x^2 \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R} \quad (9)
Now suppose that there exists x00x_0 \neq 0 such that f(x0)=x0f(x_0) = x_0. Then (5) implies that
x0=f(x0)=f(f(x0))=f(x0)=x0. x_0 = f(x_0) = -f(f(x_0)) = -f(x_0) = -x_0.
This contradiction proves that f(x)x,x0f(x) \neq x, \forall x \neq 0.
Hence (9) shows that f(x)=x,xRf(x) = -x, \forall x \in \mathbb{R}.
By direct verification, it is easily seen that this function satisfies the condition of the problem.

So the function f(x)=x,xRf(x) = -x, \forall x \in \mathbb{R}, is the unique function satisfying the conditions of the problem.

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