Find all functions f:Z→Z such that f(x+y)[(f(x)−f(y))2+f(xy)]=f(x3)+f(y3).
Solution
There are 4 solutions, namely f(x)=x,f(x)=0,f(x)=2,f(x)={12if x oddif x even Let (1) be the original equation. The first 3 solutions can be easily verified. The last solution can be verified by considering the cases when x,y have the same parity, and when they don't. We proceed to prove these are the only solutions.
Put x=y=0: f(0)2=2f(0)⇒f(0)=0 or f(0)=2
Put y=0: f(x)3−2f(x)2f(0)+f(x)f(0)2+f(x)f(0)=f(x3)+f(0) (2)
Put y=−x: f(0)[(f(x)−f(−x))2+f(−x2)]=f(x3)+f(−x3) (3)
Case 1. f(0)=0. From (2) and (3) we get f(x)3=f(x3) and f(x3)=−f(−x3). Therefore f(−x)=3f(−x3)=3−f(x3)=−f(x), so f is an odd function. Putting x=1 in (2) yields f(1)3=f(1), so f(1)=1,0 or −1. Putting y=1 in (1), yields f(x+1)((f(x)−f(1))2+f(x))=f(x3)+f(1)(4) Case 1.1. f(1)=0. (4) becomes f(x+1)(f(x)2+f(x))=f(x)3. Thus f(x+1)=0 implies f(x)=0. Since f(1)=0, f(x)=0 for all x≤1. Since f is odd, f(x)=0 for all x∈Z which is the second solution.
Case 1.2. f(1)=1. (4) becomes f(x+1)(f(x)2−f(x)+1)=f(x)3+1. Since f(x)2−f(x)+1>0, f(x+1)=f(x)2−f(x)+1f(x)3+1=f(x)+1. From here we can easily show f(x)=x for all x∈Z which is the first solution.
Case 1.3. f(1)=−1. (4) becomes f(x+1)(f(x)2+3f(x)+1)=f(x)3−1. Since f(x)2+3f(x)+1>0, f(x+1)=f(x)2+3f(x)+1f(x)3−1. Putting x=1 and then x=2 yield f(2)=2 and f(3)=117 which is not an integer. Thus there is no solution.
Case 2. f(0)=2. Substituting x=1 in (2) yields f(1)3−4f(1)2+5f(1)−2=0 which implies (f(1)−2)(f(1)−1)2=0. Thus f(1)=1 or f(1)=2. Similarly, substituting x=−1 in (2) yields f(−1)=1 or 2. Thus (f(1),f(−1)) can be either (1,1), (1,2), (2,1), or (2,2). Putting x=1 in (3), we get 2[(f(1)−f(−1))2+f(−1)]=f(1)+f(−1) implying f(1)+f(−1) is even which rules out (1,2) and (2,1).
Putting x=−1 in (1), we get f(x−1)((f(x)−f(−1))2+f(−x))=f(x3)+f(−1)(5) Case 2.1. f(1)=f(−1)=1. We will inductively prove this leads to the function f(odd)=1, f(even)=2. It suffices to show the function is periodic with period 2. For x∈[−1,1] this is already true.
Suppose we have proven the periodicity for all x∈[−n,n], where n is a positive integer. This implies f(n)=f(−n)>0. Since f(1)=f(−1), combining (4) and (5) and substituting x=n, we get f(n+1)=(f(n)−f(1))2+f(n)f(n)3+f(1)=(f(n)−f(−1))2+f(−n)f(n)3+f(1)=f(n−1) Similarly, substituting x=−n, we get f(−n−1)=(f(−n)−f(−1))2+f(n)f(−n)3+f(−1)=(f(−n)−f(1))2+f(−n)f(−n)3+f(1)=f(−n+1) Thus the function is periodic with period 2 in the range [−n−1,n+1] as well. The induction is complete and we have found our fourth solution.
Case 2.2.f(1)=f(−1)=2. Similarly to Case 2.1, we can inductively prove the function is periodic with period 2, thus yielding the function f(x)=2, the third solution.
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