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Number theory Difficulty 6.6 National olympiad Find the answer

Let CC be a non-zero natural number. Find all functions f:NNf: \mathbb{N}^{*} \rightarrow \mathbb{N}^{*} such that for all integers aa and bb with sum a+bCa+b \geqslant C, the integer a+f(b)a+f(b) divides a2+bf(a)a^{2}+b f(a).

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

First, any strictly increasing linear function is a solution. Indeed, for any integer k1k \geqslant 1, the integer a+kba+k b divides a2+b×(ka)=a(a+kb)a^{2}+b \times(k a)=a(a+k b). Conversely, let's show that any solution is a linear function (which will be strictly increasing, since it takes values in N\mathbb{N}^{*}).
Consider an integer nCn \geqslant C, and let φ=f(1)\varphi=f(1). Then

φ2+f(n)n2+f(n)0(modn+φ) \varphi^{2}+f(n) \equiv n^{2}+f(n) \equiv 0 \quad(\bmod n+\varphi)

so f(n)+φ2f(n)+\varphi^{2} is a non-zero multiple of n+φn+\varphi, which means that f(n)n+φφ2f(n) \geqslant n+\varphi-\varphi^{2}.
On the other hand, since 1+f(n)1+f(n) divides 1+φn1+\varphi n, let g(n)=(1+φn)/(1+f(n))g(n)=(1+\varphi n) /(1+f(n)). Then

φ(1+f(n))φ(n+1+φφ2)=(1+f(n))g(n)1+(1+φφ2)φ \varphi(1+f(n)) \geqslant \varphi\left(n+1+\varphi-\varphi^{2}\right)=(1+f(n)) g(n)-1+\left(1+\varphi-\varphi^{2}\right) \varphi

This means that Φ(1+f(n))(g(n)φ)\Phi \geqslant(1+f(n))(g(n)-\varphi), where we have set Φ=φ3φ2φ+1\Phi=\varphi^{3}-\varphi^{2}-\varphi+1. Consequently, if nΦ+φ2φn \geqslant \Phi+\varphi^{2}-\varphi, we know that 1+f(n)>Φ1+f(n)>\Phi, and thus that g(n)φg(n) \leqslant \varphi.
Now choose an integer a1a \geqslant 1, and let's prove that f(a)=φaf(a)=\varphi a. To do this, we construct an integer nmax{Φ+φ2φ,C}n \geqslant \max \left\{\Phi+\varphi^{2}-\varphi, C\right\} as follows:
\triangleright we take n2(mod4)n \equiv 2(\bmod 4) if φ\varphi is odd, and nn odd if φ\varphi is even: in all cases, nφ+1n \varphi+1 is odd;
\triangleright for any prime pmax{a,φ}p \leqslant \max \{a, \varphi\} odd, we choose n1(modp)n \equiv 1(\bmod p) or n2n \equiv 2 (modp)(\bmod p) so that nφ≢1(modp)n \varphi \not \equiv-1(\bmod p).
By the Chinese remainder theorem, such a choice is feasible, and for infinitely many integers nn. Without loss of generality, we even assume that n2max{φa,f(a)}n \geqslant 2 \max \{\varphi a, f(a)\}.
Then g(n)g(n) is a divisor of 1+φn1+\varphi n, and we know that g(n)φg(n) \leqslant \varphi. By construction, the integer 1+φn1+\varphi n has no prime factor pφp \leqslant \varphi, so g(n)=1g(n)=1, and thus f(n)=φnf(n)=\varphi n. But then a+φn=a+f(n)a+\varphi n=a+f(n) divides

(a2+nf(a))+(a+φn)(φna)=(φn)2+nf(a)=(φ2n+f(a))n \left(a^{2}+n f(a)\right)+(a+\varphi n)(\varphi n-a)=(\varphi n)^{2}+n f(a)=\left(\varphi^{2} n+f(a)\right) n

However, we have constructed nn so that it has no common odd prime factor with aa, and is not divisible by 4. Therefore, if we set d=PGCD(a+φn,n)d=\operatorname{PGCD}(a+\varphi n, n), then d=PGCD(a,n)d=\operatorname{PGCD}(a, n) divides 2. Then, if we set α=(a+φn)/d\alpha=(a+\varphi n) / d and n=n/dn^{\prime}=n / d, we observe that PGCD(α,n)=1\operatorname{PGCD}\left(\alpha, n^{\prime}\right)=1 and that α\alpha divides (φ2n+f(a))n\left(\varphi^{2} n+f(a)\right) n^{\prime}, so α\alpha divides φ2n+f(a)\varphi^{2} n+f(a). The integer α\alpha therefore also divides

(φ2n+f(a))dφα=f(a)φa \left(\varphi^{2} n+f(a)\right)-d \varphi \alpha=f(a)-\varphi a

However, since n2max{φa,f(a)}n \geqslant 2 \max \{\varphi a, f(a)\}, we know that

α>φn/dφn/2max{φa,f(a)}f(a)φa. \alpha>\varphi n / d \geqslant \varphi n / 2 \geqslant \max \{\varphi a, f(a)\} \geqslant|f(a)-\varphi a| .

Therefore, f(a)=φaf(a)=\varphi a, which concludes.

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.