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Algebra Difficulty 7.1 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it India

Problem:

Let ff be function defined from the set {(x,y):x,y\{(x, y): x, y reals, xy0}x y \neq 0\} into the set of all positive real numbers such that
(i) f(xy,z)=f(x,z)f(y,z)\quad f(x y, z)=f(x, z) f(y, z), for all x,y0x, y \neq 0;
(ii) f(x,yz)=f(x,y)f(x,z)\quad f(x, y z)=f(x, y) f(x, z), for all x,y0x, y \neq 0;
(iii) f(x,1x)=1\quad f(x, 1-x)=1, for all x0,1x \neq 0,1.
Prove that
(a) f(x,x)=f(x,x)=1\quad f(x, x)=f(x,-x)=1, for all x0x \neq 0;
(b) f(x,y)f(y,x)=1\quad f(x, y) f(y, x)=1, for all x,y0x, y \neq 0.

Solution

Solution:

Taking x=y=1x=y=1 in (ii), we get f(1,z)2=f(1,z)f(1, z)^2 = f(1, z) so that f(1,z)=1f(1, z) = 1 for all z0z \neq 0. Similarly, x=y=1x=y=-1 gives f(1,z)=1f(-1, z) = 1 for all z0z \neq 0. Using the second condition, we also get f(z,1)=f(z,1)=1f(z, 1) = f(z, -1) = 1 for all z0z \neq 0.

Observe
f(1x,y)f(x,y)=f(1,y)=1=f(x,1)=f(x,1y)f(x,y) f\left(\frac{1}{x}, y\right) f(x, y) = f(1, y) = 1 = f(x, 1) = f\left(x, \frac{1}{y}\right) f(x, y)
Therefore
f(x,1y)=f(1x,y)=1f(x,y) f\left(x, \frac{1}{y}\right) = f\left(\frac{1}{x}, y\right) = \frac{1}{f(x, y)}
for all x,y0x, y \neq 0.

Now for x0,1x \neq 0,1, condition (iii) gives
1=f(1x,11x)=f(x,111x) 1 = f\left(\frac{1}{x}, 1-\frac{1}{x}\right) = f\left(x, \frac{1}{1-\frac{1}{x}}\right)
Multiplying by 1=f(x,1x)1 = f(x, 1-x), we get
1=f(x,1x)f(x,111x)=f(x,1x11x)=f(x,x) 1 = f(x, 1-x) f\left(x, \frac{1}{1-\frac{1}{x}}\right) = f\left(x, \frac{1-x}{1-\frac{1}{x}}\right) = f(x, -x)
for all x0,1x \neq 0,1.

But f(x,1)=1f(x, -1) = 1 for all x0x \neq 0 gives
f(x,x)=f(x,x)f(x,1)=f(x,x)=1 f(x, x) = f(x, -x) f(x, -1) = f(x, -x) = 1
for all x0,1x \neq 0,1. Observe f(1,1)=f(1,1)=1f(1,1) = f(1,-1) = 1. Hence
f(x,x)=f(x,x)=1 f(x, x) = f(x, -x) = 1
for all x0x \neq 0, which proves (a).

We have
1=f(xy,xy)=f(x,xy)f(y,xy)=f(x,x)f(x,y)f(y,x)f(y,y)=f(x,y)f(y,x) 1 = f(x y, x y) = f(x, x y) f(y, x y) = f(x, x) f(x, y) f(y, x) f(y, y) = f(x, y) f(y, x)
for all x,y0x, y \neq 0, which proves (b).

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