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Algebra Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it Iran

Find all the functions f:RRf : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R} such that for all x,yRx, y \in \mathbb{R} we have:
f(yf(x)+f(x)f(y))=xf(y)+f(xy) f(yf(x) + f(x)f(y)) = xf(y) + f(xy)

Solution

First Solution. Plugging (x,y)=(1,yf(z)+f(z)f(y))(x, y) = (1, yf(z) + f(z)f(y)) yields
f(C(yf(z)+f(z)f(y)+f(yf(z)+f(z)f(y))))=f(C(yf(z)+zf(y)+f(y)f(z)+f(zy))=2f(yf(z)+f(z)f(y))=2zf(y)+2f(zy) \begin{align*} & f(C(yf(z) + f(z)f(y) + f(yf(z) + f(z)f(y)))) \\ &= f(C(yf(z) + zf(y) + f(y)f(z) + f(zy)) \\ &= 2f(yf(z) + f(z)f(y)) = 2zf(y) + 2f(zy) \end{align*}

zf(y)+f(zy)=yf(z)+f(yz). zf(y) + f(zy) = yf(z) + f(yz).
Hence, f(y)=Cyf(y) = Cy for some constant CC. Putting f(x)=Cxf(x) = Cx in the original equation yields f(x)=0,f(x)=x,f(x)=2xf(x) = 0, f(x) = x, f(x) = -2x.

Second Solution. As in the first solution, f(1)=af(1) = a. Assume that ff is not constant, then, f((1+a)f(x))=ax+f(x)f((1+a)f(x)) = ax + f(x) yielding to the fact that ff is injective. Further, f(a(y+f(y)))=2f(y)f(a(y+f(y))) = 2f(y). It follows that if r+f(r)=s+f(s)r+f(r)=s+f(s) then r=sr=s. Hence, f(a2+a)=2af(a^2+a) = 2a and f((1+a)f(a2+a))=f(2a2+2a)=a(a2+a)+f(a2+a)=a3+a2+2af((1+a)f(a^2+a)) = f(2a^2+2a) = a(a^2+a) + f(a^2+a) = a^3 + a^2 + 2a, finally, f(a(a2+a+f(a2+a)))=f(a3+3a2)=2f(a2+a)=4af(a(a^2+a+f(a^2+a))) = f(a^3+3a^2) = 2f(a^2+a) = 4a. Notice that a3+3a2+4a=a3+a2+2a+2a2+2aa^3+3a^2+4a = a^3+a^2+2a+2a^2+2a. It follows that f(2a2+2a)+2a2+2a=f(a3+3a2)+a3+3a2f(2a^2+2a) + 2a^2 + 2a = f(a^3+3a^2) + a^3 + 3a^2. Hence, 2a2+2a=a3+3a22a^2 + 2a = a^3 + 3a^2. Thus, a{2,1}a \in \{-2, 1\}.
If a=1a=1 then f(2f(x))=x+f(x)f(2f(x)) = x+f(x) letting x=2f(z)x=2f(z) to obtain f(y(z+f(z))+(z+f(z))f(y))=f(yz+zf(z)+zf(y)+f(y)f(z))=2f(z)f(y)+f(2yf(z))f(y(z+f(z)) + (z+f(z))f(y)) = f(yz+zf(z)+zf(y)+f(y)f(z)) = 2f(z)f(y)+f(2yf(z)), interchanging y,zy,z to obtain f(2zf(y))=f(2yf(z))f(2zf(y)) = f(2yf(z)) since ff is injective, it follows that zf(z)=zf(y)zf(z) = zf(y) and hence f(x)=xf(x) = x.
If a=2a = -2 then f(f(x))=f(x)2xf(-f(x)) = f(x) - 2x and f(2f(x)2x)=2f(x)f(-2f(x)-2x) = 2f(x) putting f(x)-f(x) instead of xx in the second equation to obtain f(4x)=2f(x)4xf(4x) = 2f(x) - 4x. Plugging 2(x+f(x))-2(x+f(x)) instead of xx in the second equation to obtain f(4x)=4f(x)f(4x) = 4f(x). Hence, f(x)=2xf(x) = -2x. ■

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