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Algebra Difficulty 7.9 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Asia Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO)

Find all functions ff from the set {R}\{\mathbf{R}\} of real numbers into {R}\{\mathbf{R}\} which satisfy for all x,y,z{R}x, y, z \in \{\mathbf{R}\} the identity
f(f(x)+f(y)+f(z))=f(f(x)f(y))+f(2xy+f(z))+2f(xzyz) f(f(x)+f(y)+f(z))=f(f(x)-f(y))+f(2 x y+f(z))+2 f(x z-y z)

Solution

It is clear that if ff is a constant function which satisfies the given equation, then the constant must be 00. Conversely, f(x)=0f(x)=0 clearly satisfies the given equation, so, the identically 00 function is a solution. In the sequel, we consider the case where ff is not a constant function.
Let tRt \in \mathbf{R} and substitute (x,y,z)=(t,0,0)(x, y, z)=(t, 0,0) and (x,y,z)=(0,t,0)(x, y, z)=(0, t, 0) into the given functional equation. Then, we obtain, respectively,
f(f(t)+2f(0))=f(f(t)f(0))+f(f(0))+2f(0),f(f(t)+2f(0))=f(f(0)f(t))+f(f(0))+2f(0), \begin{aligned} & f(f(t)+2 f(0))=f(f(t)-f(0))+f(f(0))+2 f(0), \\ & f(f(t)+2 f(0))=f(f(0)-f(t))+f(f(0))+2 f(0), \end{aligned}
from which we conclude that f(f(t)f(0))=f(f(0)f(t))f(f(t)-f(0))=f(f(0)-f(t)) holds for all tRt \in \mathbf{R}. Now, suppose for some pair u1,u2u_1, u_2, f(u1)=f(u2)f\left(u_1\right)=f\left(u_2\right) is satisfied. Then by substituting (x,y,z)=(s,0,u1)(x, y, z)=\left(s, 0, u_1\right) and (x,y,z)=(s,0,u2)(x, y, z)=\left(s, 0, u_2\right) into the functional equation and comparing the resulting identities, we can easily conclude that
f(su1)=f(su2) \begin{equation*} f\left(s u_1\right)=f\left(s u_2\right) \tag{*} \end{equation*}
holds for all sRs \in \mathbf{R}. Since ff is not a constant function there exists an s0s_0 such that f(s0)f(0)0f\left(s_0\right)-f(0) \neq 0. If we put u1=f(s0)f(0),u2=u1u_1=f\left(s_0\right)-f(0), u_2=-u_1, then f(u1)=f(u2)f\left(u_1\right)=f\left(u_2\right), so we have by ()(*)
f(su1)=f(su2)=f(su1) f\left(s u_1\right)=f\left(s u_2\right)=f\left(-s u_1\right)
for all sRs \in \mathbf{R}. Since u10u_1 \neq 0, we conclude that
f(x)=f(x) f(x)=f(-x)
holds for all xRx \in \mathbf{R}.
Next, if f(u)=f(0)f(u)=f(0) for some u0u \neq 0, then by ()(*), we have f(su)=f(s0)=f(0)f(s u)=f(s 0)=f(0) for all ss, which implies that ff is a constant function, contradicting our assumption. Therefore, we must have f(s)f(0)f(s) \neq f(0) whenever s0s \neq 0.
We will now show that if f(x)=f(y)f(x)=f(y) holds, then either x=yx=y or x=yx=-y must hold. Suppose on the contrary that f(x0)=f(y0)f\left(x_0\right)=f\left(y_0\right) holds for some pair of non-zero numbers x0,y0x_0, y_0 for which x0y0,x0y0x_0 \neq y_0, x_0 \neq -y_0. Since f(y0)=f(y0)f\left(-y_0\right)=f\left(y_0\right), we may assume, by replacing y0y_0 by y0-y_0 if necessary, that x0x_0 and y0y_0 have the same sign. In view of ()(*), we see that f(sx0)=f(sy0)f\left(s x_0\right)=f\left(s y_0\right) holds for all ss, and therefore, there exists some r>0,r1r>0, r \neq 1 such that
f(x)=f(rx) f(x)=f(r x)
holds for all xx. Replacing xx by rxr x and yy by ryr y in the given functional equation, we obtain
f(f(rx)+f(ry)+f(z))=f(f(rx)f(ry))+f(2r2xy+f(z))+2f(r(xy)z) \begin{equation*} f(f(r x)+f(r y)+f(z))=f(f(r x)-f(r y))+f\left(2 r^{2} x y+f(z)\right)+2 f(r(x-y) z) \tag{i} \end{equation*}
and replacing xx by r2xr^{2} x in the functional equation, we get
f(f(r2x)+f(y)+f(z))=f(f(r2x)f(y))+f(2r2xy+f(z))+2f((r2xy)z) \begin{equation*} f\left(f\left(r^{2} x\right)+f(y)+f(z)\right)=f\left(f\left(r^{2} x\right)-f(y)\right)+f\left(2 r^{2} x y+f(z)\right)+2 f\left(\left(r^{2} x-y\right) z\right) \tag{ii} \end{equation*}
Since f(rx)=f(x)f(r x)=f(x) holds for all xRx \in \mathbf{R}, we see that except for the last term on the right-hand side, all the corresponding terms appearing in the identities (i) and (ii) above are equal, and hence we conclude that
f(r(xy)z)=f((r2xy)z)) \begin{equation*} \left.f(r(x-y) z)=f\left(\left(r^{2} x-y\right) z\right)\right) \tag{iii} \end{equation*}
must hold for arbitrary choice of x,y,zRx, y, z \in \mathbf{R}. For arbitrarily fixed pair u,vRu, v \in \mathbf{R}, substitute (x,y,z)=(vur21,vr2ur21,1)(x, y, z)=\left(\frac{v-u}{r^{2}-1}, \frac{v-r^{2} u}{r^{2}-1}, 1\right) into the identity (iii). Then we obtain f(v)=f(ru)=f(u)f(v)=f(r u)=f(u), since xy=u,r2xy=v,z=1x-y=u, r^{2} x-y=v, z=1. But this implies that the function ff is a constant, contradicting our assumption. Thus we conclude that if f(x)=f(y)f(x)=f(y) then either x=yx=y or x=yx=-y must hold.
By substituting z=0z=0 in the functional equation, we get
f(f(x)+f(y)+f(0))=f(f(x)f(y)+f(0))=f((f(x)f(y))+f(2xy+f(0))+2f(0). f(f(x)+f(y)+f(0))=f(f(x)-f(y)+f(0))=f((f(x)-f(y))+f(2 x y+f(0))+2 f(0).
Changing yy to y-y in the identity above and using the fact that f(y)=f(y)f(y)=f(-y), we see that all the terms except the second term on the right-hand side in the identity above remain the same. Thus we conclude that f(2xy+f(0))=f(2xy+f(0))f(2 x y+f(0))=f(-2 x y+f(0)), from which we get either 2xy+f(0)=2xy+f(0)2 x y+f(0)=-2 x y+f(0) or 2xy+f(0)=2xyf(0)2 x y+f(0)=2 x y-f(0) for all x,yRx, y \in \mathbf{R}. The first of these alternatives says that 4xy=04 x y=0, which is impossible if xy0x y \neq 0. Therefore the second alternative must be valid and we get that f(0)=0f(0)=0.
Finally, let us show that if ff satisfies the given functional equation and is not a constant function, then f(x)=x2f(x)=x^{2}. Let x=yx=y in the functional equation, then since f(0)=0f(0)=0, we get
f(2f(x)+f(z))=f(2x2+f(z)) f(2 f(x)+f(z))=f\left(2 x^{2}+f(z)\right)
from which we conclude that either 2f(x)+f(z)=2x2+f(z)2 f(x)+f(z)=2 x^{2}+f(z) or 2f(x)+f(z)=2x2f(z)2 f(x)+f(z)=-2 x^{2}-f(z) must hold. Suppose there exists x0x_0 for which f(x0)x02f\left(x_0\right) \neq x_0^{2}, then from the second alternative, we see that f(z)=f(x0)x02f(z)=-f\left(x_0\right)-x_0^{2} must hold for all zz, which means that ff must be a constant function, contrary to our assumption. Therefore, the first alternative above must hold, and we have f(x)=x2f(x)=x^{2} for all xx, establishing our claim.
It is easy to check that f(x)=x2f(x)=x^{2} does satisfy the given functional equation, so we conclude that f(x)=0f(x)=0 and f(x)=x2f(x)=x^{2} are the only functions that satisfy the requirement.

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