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Algebra Difficulty 7.3 National olympiad, round 2 Find the answer

A sequence of functions {fn(x)}\, \{f_n(x) \} \, is defined recursively as follows: f1(x)=x2+48,andfn+1(x)=x2+6fn(x)for n1.\begin{align*} f_1(x) &= \sqrt {x^2 + 48}, \quad \text{and} \\ f_{n + 1}(x) &= \sqrt {x^2 + 6f_n(x)} \quad \text{for } n \geq 1. \end{align*} (Recall that [5mm]\text{[5mm]} is understood to represent the positive square root .) For each positive integer nn , find all real solutions of the equation fn(x)=2x\, f_n(x) = 2x \, .

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

Solution

We define f0(x)=8f_0(x) = 8 . Then the recursive relation holds for n=0n=0 , as well.
Since fn(x)0f_n (x) \ge 0 for all nonnegative integers nn , it suffices to consider nonnegative values of xx .
We claim that the following set of relations hold true for all natural numbers nn and nonnegative reals xx : fn(x)<2x if x>4 ;fn(x)=2x if x=4 ;fn(x)>2x if x<4.\begin{align*} f_n(x) &< 2x \text{ if }x>4 ; \\ f_n(x) &= 2x \text{ if }x=4 ; \\ f_n(x) &> 2x \text{ if }x<4 . \end{align*} To prove this claim, we induct on nn . The statement evidently holds for our base case, n=0n=0 .
Now, suppose the claim holds for nn . Then fn+1(x)=x2+6fn(x)<x2+12x<4x2=2x, if x>4 ;fn+1(x)=x2+6fn(x)=x2+12x=4x2=2x, if x=4 ;fn+1(x)=x2+6fn(x)>x2+12x>4x2=2x, if x<4.\begin{align*} f_{n+1}(x) &= \sqrt{x^2 + 6f_n(x)} < \sqrt{x^2+12x} < \sqrt{4x^2} = 2x, \text{ if } x>4 ; \\ f_{n+1}(x) &= \sqrt{x^2 + 6f_n(x)} = \sqrt{x^2 + 12x} = \sqrt{4x^2} = 2x, \text{ if } x=4 ; \\ f_{n+1}(x) &= \sqrt{x^2 + 6f_n(x)} > \sqrt{x^2+12x} > \sqrt{4x^2} = 2x, \text{ if } x<4 . \end{align*} The claim therefore holds by induction. It then follows that for all nonnegative integers nn , x=4x=4 is the unique solution to the equation fn(x)=2xf_n(x) = 2x . \blacksquare
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