Find all surjective functions such that for every and every prime the number is divisible by if and only if is divisible by .
[i]Author: Mohsen Jamaali and Nima Ahmadi Pour Anari, Iran[/i]
Find all surjective functions such that for every and every prime the number is divisible by if and only if is divisible by .
[i]Author: Mohsen Jamaali and Nima Ahmadi Pour Anari, Iran[/i]
We are tasked with finding all surjective functions that satisfy the condition: for every and every prime , the number is divisible by if and only if is divisible by .
To solve this, we consider the given condition:
Let's explore the implications of this condition:
1. Injectivity:
Assume for contradiction that for . Then, consider and :
Since is assumed to be surjective, it must be injective as well because if , any number in the codomain cannot have two different pre-images, which would violate surjectivity.
2. Additivity and Linear Form:
For simplicity, consider :
Now generalize this idea. Suppose by induction that holds for some . Then, for and :
thereby maintaining the linearity .
3. Scaling:
Consider , then should hold. Scaling continues to suggest that and let's assume for surjectivity .
4. Testing the Condition:
Given , check the condition in both directions:
- If , then .
- If , similarly .
The only function which satisfies all constraints and maintain surjectivity is .
Thus, the function that satisfies the given condition is: