Denote the statement by P, and let P(x,y) denote the substitutions into it. Let a be the real number such that f(a)=1. Let S denote the set of x>0 such that f(ax)=x. Then 1∈S. We prove several lemmas:
Lemma 1. If x∈S, then 2x2∈S. *Proof.* Use P(ax,ax): f(a2x2)=2x2⇒2x2∈S.
Lemma 2. If x∈S, then 2x∈S. *Proof.* Denote by x0 the real number that satisfies f(x0)=2x. Use P(x0,x0): f(x02x)=x=f(ax), so x02x=ax. We get x0=a2x and f(a2x)=2x, so 2x∈S.
Lemma 3. If x,y∈S, then 21(x+y)∈S. *Proof.* From Lemma 2 we have 2x,2y∈S. Use P(a2x,a2y)⇒f(21a(x+y))=21(x+y).
Lemma 4. The function x↦xf(x) is a surjection. *Proof.* Use P(x,x) and get f(2xf(x))=2f2(x). Consider arbitrary x>0. Take y such that f(y)=21f(2x). Substitute it into the last equality to get f(2yf(y))=f(2x)⇒yf(y)=x, as desired.
Lemma 5. If xf(x)>yf(y), then f(x)>f(y). *Proof.* Suppose the contrary, let xf(x)>yf(y), but f(x)≤f(y). Since x=y, we have f(x)<f(y). Choose real t with xf(x)>t>yf(y). Then there is a real u such that uf(u)+yf(y)=t. Then f(uf(u)+yf(y))=f(t)=f2(u)+f2(y)>f2(y)>f2(x). Then there is a real v such that f(t)=f2(v)+f2(x)=f(xf(x)+vf(v)). From here we get t=xf(x)+vf(v)>xf(x), which is a contradiction, and the proof of the lemma is complete.
Lemma 6. The function x↦f(x) is increasing on (0,+∞). *Proof.* It suffices to prove that for any positive a,b,c with b>c we have f(a+b)>f(a+c). Consider x,y,z such that a=xf(x),b=yf(y), and c=zf(z). Since b>c, we have f(y)>f(z). Then f(a+b)=f(xf(x)+yf(y))=f2(x)+f2(y)>f2(x)+f2(z)=f(xf(x)+zf(z))=f(a+c), as desired.
From Lemma 1, 21∈S, 23∈S, 27∈S, etc., so S contains arbitrary large reals. Let us prove that S contains arbitrary small (close to zero) reals. Consider arbitrary ε>0. It suffices to prove that ∃x∈S:0<x<ε. From Lemma 2, we have that 22n−1∈S if 2n∈S. Since 20∈S, we have 221−1∈S, 241−1∈S, 281−1∈S, etc., so there is x∈S:21<x<21+ε2. Denote by x0 the real such that f(x0)=x−21. Use P(x0,21a). Since 21∈S, we have f(2a+x0x−21)=x=f(ax). This means 2a+x0x−21=x.
Therefore x−21∈S and x−21<ε. We have proven that S contains arbitrarily large and arbitrarily small numbers.
Suppose that x∈/S. Let us prove that there is y∈S, lying between x and f(ax). Suppose otherwise. We've proven that there are y1,y2∈S such that y1<x,f(ax)<y2. Consider the following process: given z1,z2∈S such that z1<x,f(ax)<z2, consider z3, the midpoint of [z1,z2]. By Lemma 3, it lies in S and by our assumption is not between x and f(ax). This means that the closed interval between x and f(ax) lies entirely either in [z1,z3] or [z3,z2]. Then we can choose one of these intervals and repeat the operation. Since after each step the length of the interval halves, it will eventually be smaller than the length of the interval between x and f(ax), leading to a contradiction.
Thus, there is y∈S between x and f(ax). Since f is increasing, 0>(x−y)(f(ax)−y)=(x−y)(f(ax)−f(ay))>0. This contradiction proves that S=(0,+∞), so f(x)=ax. It's easy to check that all functions of the form f(x)=cx with c>0 satisfy the statement.
Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track
puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.
Source: MathNet,
licensed CC-BY-4.0.
Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.