Maths Olympiad Prep

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, 2011

Algebra Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

Let f:RRf : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R} be a function such that:
f(xy+x+y)+f(xyxy)=2(f(x)+f(y)),x,yR.(1) f(xy + x + y) + f(xy - x - y) = 2(f(x) + f(y)), \forall x, y \in \mathbb{R}. \quad (1)
Prove that ff fulfills the relation:
f(x+y)=f(x)+f(y),x,yR.(2) f(x + y) = f(x) + f(y), \forall x, y \in \mathbb{R}. \quad (2)

Solution

x=y=0x = y = 0 yields f(0)=0f(0) = 0 and y=0y = 0 yields f(x)=f(x)f(-x) = -f(x), xRx \in \mathbb{R}.

y=1f(2x+1)=2f(x)+f(1)(3)y = 1 \Rightarrow f(2x + 1) = 2f(x) + f(1) \quad (3)

y=1f(2x1)=2f(x)f(1)(4)y = -1 \Rightarrow f(2x - 1) = 2f(x) - f(1) \quad (4)

Denote xy=xy+x+yx * y = xy + x + y and notice that (ASOC): x(yz)=(xy)zx * (y * z) = (x * y) * z.
For x=1x = 1, y1=2y+1y * 1 = 2y + 1, hence

f(y1)=2f(y)+f(1),yR(5) f(y * 1) = 2f(y) + f(1), \forall y \in \mathbb{R} \quad (5)

Therefore
f(x(y1))=f(x(2y+1))=(1)f(x(2y+1)x2y1)+2f(x)+2f(2y+1)=f(2(xyy)1)+2f(2y+1)+2f(x)=(3,4)2f(xyy)+f(x)+2f(y)+f(1) \begin{align*} f(x * (y * 1)) &= f(x * (2y + 1)) \\ &\stackrel{(1)}{=} f(x(2y + 1) - x - 2y - 1) + 2f(x) + 2f(2y + 1) \\ &= f(2(xy - y) - 1) + 2f(2y + 1) + 2f(x) \\ &\stackrel{(3,4)}{=} 2f(xy - y) + f(x) + 2f(y) + f(1) \tag{6} \end{align*}

and
f((xy)1)=(5)2f(xy)+f(1)=(1)2(2f(x)+2f(y))+2f(xyxy)+f(1)=2f(xyxy)+2f(x)+2f(y)+f(1). \begin{align} f((x * y) * 1) &\stackrel{(5)}{=} 2f(x * y) + f(1) \stackrel{(1)}{=} 2(2f(x) + 2f(y)) + 2f(xy - x - y) + f(1) \nonumber \\ &= 2f(xy - x - y) + 2f(x) + 2f(y) + f(1). \tag{7} \end{align}

Relations (6), (7) and (ASOC) yield:
f(xyxy)+f(x)=f(xyy),x,yR. f(xy - x - y) + f(x) = f(xy - y), \forall x, y \in \mathbb{R}.
The last relation means that f(u+v)=f(u)+f(v)f(u + v) = f(u) + f(v) for all u,vRu, v \in \mathbb{R} which can be written in the form u=x,v=xyxyu = x, v = xy - x - y, that is there exists x,yRx, y \in \mathbb{R} so that x=ux = u and y=v+uu1y = \frac{v+u}{u-1}; this happens if u1u \neq 1 or u=1=vu = 1 = -v.

It remains to check that f(1+v)=f(1)+f(v)f(1 + v) = f(1) + f(v), vR\forall v \in \mathbb{R}. Indeed, (4) and xx+1x \mapsto x + 1 imply
f(2x+1)=2f(x+1)f(1)=(3)2f(x)+f(1), f(2x + 1) = 2f(x + 1) - f(1) \stackrel{(3)}{=} 2f(x) + f(1),
whence f(x+1)=f(x)+f(1),xR. \text{whence } f(x + 1) = f(x) + f(1), \forall x \in \mathbb{R}.

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