Find all functions such that
for all .
, 2012
Solution
If we substitute into the functional equation, we get
We successively substitute , and instead of into this equation to get
In the last two equations, we have already considered (2), and in the last equation, we have also considered (3). If we now substitute and into the functional equation and use (2), we get
From (4) and (5) we derive . Hence or . If , then from (1) we get for any , and we conclude that is a constant function. The only constant function that satisfies the equation is the zero function.
If, on the other hand, , then from (1) we get for any , and we verify that this function satisfies the functional equation. The solutions are and .
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