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Algebra Difficulty 6.3 National olympiad Find the answer

Find all real aa for which there exists a function f:RRf: \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R} such that f(xf(y))=f(x)+a[y]f(x-f(y))=f(x)+a[y] for every real xx and yy ( [y][y] denotes the integral part of yy ).

Answer: a=n2a=-n^{2} for arbitrary integer nn.

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

Solution

First note that a=0a=0 satisfies the problem condition (for example, the equation is satisfied by the function f(x)0f(x) \equiv 0).

Now suppose a0a \neq 0.

Lemma. f(y)=f(z)f(y)=f(z) if and only if [y]=[z][y]=[z].

Suppose f(y)=f(z)f(y)=f(z) for some y,zy, z. Then the given equation implies f(x)+a[y]=f(xf(y))=f(xf(z))=f(x)+a[z]f(x)+a[y]=f(x-f(y))=f(x-f(z))=f(x)+a[z] whence [y]=[z][y]=[z]. Conversely, if [y]=[z][y]=[z] then f(xf(y))=f(x)+a[y]=f(x)+a[z]=f(xf(z))f(x-f(y))=f(x)+a[y]=f(x)+a[z]=f(x-f(z)). It follows from previous observation that [xf(y)]=[xf(z)][x-f(y)]=[x-f(z)] for all xx. Set x=f(y)+f(z)2x=\frac{f(y)+f(z)}{2}, then [f(y)f(z)2]=[f(y)f(z)2]\left[\frac{f(y)-f(z)}{2}\right]=\left[-\frac{f(y)-f(z)}{2}\right], so f(y)=f(z)f(y)=f(z). The lemma is proved.

Now we claim that f(m)Zf(m) \in \mathbb{Z} for any mZm \in \mathbb{Z}. Setting y=my=m in the given equation we obtain f(xf(m))=f(x)+amf(x-f(m))=f(x)+a m for any mZ,xRm \in \mathbb{Z}, x \in \mathbb{R}. Suppose that f(m)Zf(m) \notin \mathbb{Z} for some mZm \in \mathbb{Z}. Choose t(0,1)t \in(0,1) such that [f(m)]=[f(m)+t][f(m)]=[f(m)+t]. Then for x=0x=0 we have f(f(m))=f(0)+amf(-f(m))=f(0)+a m and for x=tx=-t we have f(tf(m))=f(t)+amf(-t-f(m))=f(-t)+a m. Using the lemma we have f(f(m))=f(tf(m))f(-f(m))=f(-t-f(m)), so f(0)=f(t)=f(1)f(0)=f(-t)=f(-1), which contradicts the lemma.

From now on we will use in the given equation f(xf(y))=f(x)+ayf(x-f(y))=f(x)+a y (1) only integer numbers x,yx, y. Setting y=1y=1 in (1) we obtain that aZa \in \mathbb{Z}. Further, for y=0y=0 we have f(xf(0))=f(x)f(x-f(0))=f(x) and therefore xf(0)=xx-f(0)=x (by lemma), whence f(0)=0f(0)=0. Now set x=f(y)x=f(y), then f(f(y))=ayf(f(y))=-a y (2); replacing yy by f(y)f(y) in (1) we get f(x+ay)=f(x)+af(y)f(x+a y)=f(x)+a f(y) (3). Denoting f(1)f(1) by nn and setting y=1y=1 in (3) we obtain f(x+a)=f(x)+anf(x+a)=f(x)+a n (4). Applying (4) to x=0x=0 we get f(a)=anf(a)=a n. From (4) we easily conclude that f(ka)=kanf(k a)=k a n for any kZk \in \mathbb{Z}; in particular f(an)=an2f(a n)=a n^{2}. Now setting y=ay=a in (2) gives a2=f(f(a))=an2-a^{2}=f(f(a))=a n^{2} as stated.

It remains to note that if a=n2a=-n^{2} then the function f(x)=n[x]f(x)=n[x] satisfies the given condition: n[xn[y]]=n[x]n2[y]n[x-n[y]]=n[x]-n^{2}[y], which is obvious.

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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.