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Algebra Difficulty 7.9 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Iran

Find all functions f:RRf: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R} such that for any two real numbers xx and yy,
f(2xy)2+f(f(x)2y2)2=f(x2+y2)2. f(2xy)^2 + f(f(x)^2 - y^2)^2 = f(x^2 + y^2)^2.

Solution

Obviously, the constant function f(x)=0f(x) = 0 is an answer. Let ff be a non-constant function satisfying the problem.
Define gg to be g(x)=f(x)2g(x) = f(x)^2 for all xx. Since f(x)20f(x)^2 \ge 0, gg would always be non-negative.
Let PP denote the assertion that
g(2xy)+g(g(x)y2)=g(x2+y2) g(2xy) + g(g(x) - y^2) = g(x^2 + y^2)
For every ab0a \ge b \ge 0, there exists x0,y0x_0, y_0 where x02+y02=bx_0^2 + y_0^2 = b and 2x0y0=a2x_0y_0 = a. Hence
P(x0,y0)g(b)g(a)=g(g(x)y2)0 P(x_0, y_0) \rightarrow g(b) - g(a) = g(g(x) - y^2) \ge 0
So gg is an increasing function on non-negative numbers, which mixed with the non-negativity of gg results in g(0)0    g(g(0))g(0)0g(0) \ge 0 \implies g(g(0)) \ge g(0) \ge 0.
P(0,0)g(0)+g(g(0))=g(0)    0g(0)(g(0))=0    g(0)=0 P(0, 0) \rightarrow g(0) + g(g(0)) = g(0) \implies 0 \le g(0) \le (g(0)) = 0 \implies g(0) = 0
And by P(12,y)P(\frac{1}{2}, -y) and P(12,y)P(\frac{1}{2}, y) we have
g(y)+g(g(12)y2)=g(14+y2)=g(y)+g(g(12)y2)    g(y)=g(y) g(-y) + g\left(g\left(\frac{1}{2}\right) - y^2\right) = g\left(\frac{1}{4} + y^2\right) = g(y) + g\left(g\left(\frac{1}{2}\right) - y^2\right) \\ \implies g(y) = g(-y)
Take xx to be a real number, it suffices to prove that g(x)=x2g(x) = x^2 and then f(x)=±xf(x) = \pm x would satisfy the problem. Since gg is an even function, by proving that g(x)=x2g(x) = x^2 for x0x \ge 0, the same would be proven for x<0x < 0; hence it suffices to prove that g(x)=x2g(x) = x^2 for x>0x > 0.
Since g(x)0g(x) \ge 0, there exists yy in which y2=g(x)y^2 = g(x). P(x,y)P(x, y) yields in
g(2xy)=g(2xy)+g(g(x)g(x))=g(x2+y2) g(2xy) = g(2xy) + g(g(x) - g(x)) = g(x^2 + y^2)
If we prove gg to be an injective function, this will result in 2xy=x2+y2    x=y    x2=g(x)2xy = x^2 + y^2 \implies x = y \implies x^2 = g(x) which proves our point, so it's left to prove that gg is injective.
For this purpose, first we prove that g(a)=0    a=0g(a) = 0 \iff a = 0. Suppose the contrary: There exists a>0a > 0 in which g(a)=0g(a) = 0 and let Q(a)Q(a) denote this proposition, also there exists b>0b > 0 satisfying g(b)>0g(b) > 0. gg is increasing, hence g(x)=0g(x) = 0 for all 0xa0 \le x \le a. Let y=ay = \sqrt{a} and x=min(a,a2)x = \min\left(a, \frac{\sqrt{a}}{2}\right); we clearly have
{xa    g(x)=0y2=a    g(y2)=g(y2)=02xy2a2y=a    g(2xy)=0 \begin{cases} x \le a \implies g(x) = 0 \\ y^2 = a \implies g(-y^2) = g(y^2) = 0 \\ 2xy \le 2\frac{\sqrt{a}}{2}y = a \implies g(2xy) = 0 \end{cases}
By P(x,y)P(x, y) we conclude
g(2xy)+g(g(x)y2)=g(0y2)=0=g(x2+y2)=g(a+x2) g(2xy) + g(g(x) - y^2) = g(0 - y^2) = 0 = g(x^2 + y^2) = g(a + x^2)
So x=a2    aa2    a14x = \frac{\sqrt{a}}{2} \iff a \ge \frac{\sqrt{a}}{2} \iff a \ge \frac{1}{4} and x=a    a14x = a \iff a \le \frac{1}{4}. In other words, if a14a \ge \frac{1}{4} we would have Q(a)    Q(5a4)Q(a) \implies Q(\frac{5a}{4}) and if a14a \le \frac{1}{4}, we would have Q(a)    Q(a2+a)Q(a) \implies Q(a^2+a). Note that a14a \ge \frac{1}{4}, Q(a)    Q(5a4)    Q(25a16)Q(a) \implies Q(\frac{5a}{4}) \implies Q(\frac{25a}{16}) which inductively proves that Q(5na4n)Q(\frac{5^n a}{4^n}) for all nZ+n \in \mathbb{Z}^+, and it's easy to see that there exists kZ+k \in \mathbb{Z}^+ satisfying b5ka4kb \le \frac{5^k a}{4^k} which is a clear contradiction. On the other hand, we shall prove that a14a \le \frac{1}{4} results in Q(a)    Q(a(na+1))Q(a) \implies Q(a(na+1)) for all nZ+n \in \mathbb{Z}^+; The basis is already proven: Q(a)    Q(a2+a)Q(a) \implies Q(a^2+a). For the inductive step, suppose that Q(a)    Q(na2+a)Q(a) \implies Q(na^2+a). If na2+a14na^2+a \ge \frac{1}{4}, it's already proven that g(b)=0g(b) = 0 for all bb, therefore we suppose the contrary, so
Q(na2+a)    Q((na2+a)2+(na2+a)). Q(na^2 + a) \implies Q\left((na^2 + a)^2 + (na^2 + a)\right).
But it's easy to see that
(na2+a)2a2    (na2+a)2+(na2+a)a2+na2+a=a((n+1)a+1), (na^2 + a)^2 \ge a^2 \implies (na^2 + a)^2 + (na^2 + a) \ge a^2 + na^2 + a = a((n+1)a + 1),
therefore by gg being increasing,
Q(na2+a)    Q((na2+a)2+(na2+a))    Q(a((n+1)a+1)) Q(na^2 + a) \implies Q\left((na^2 + a)^2 + (na^2 + a)\right) \implies Q(a((n+1)a + 1))
which completes the induction. With this proven, it's concluded that g(x)=0    x=0g(x) = 0 \iff x = 0.
Now we prove that gg is injective. Suppose on the contrary that g(a)=g(b)g(a) = g(b) for some a>ba > b. There exists some x,y0x, y \ge 0 satisfying x2+y2=ax^2+y^2 = a and 2xy=b2xy = b. Without loss of generalization assume that xyx \ge y. Therefore by P(x,y)P(x, y) and P(y,x)P(y, x)
g(g(x)y2)=g(g(y)x2)=g(a)g(b)=0    g(x)=y2,g(y)=x2    xy    g(x)g(y)    y2x2    yx    y=x    2xy=x2+y2    a=b \begin{align*} g(g(x) - y^2) &= g(g(y) - x^2) = g(a) - g(b) = 0 & \implies g(x) &= y^2, g(y) = x^2 \\ \implies x \ge y &\implies g(x) \ge g(y) &\implies y^2 \ge x^2 &\implies y \ge x &\implies y = x \\ \implies 2xy &= x^2 + y^2 &\implies a &= b \end{align*}
Which is a clear contradiction. Hence f(x)=±xf(x) = \pm x is the only possible option for non-constant ff, which is indeed a solution. ■

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