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Algebra Difficulty 8.5 Shortlist Find the answer

Determine all functions f:(0,)Rf:(0,\infty)\to\mathbb{R} satisfying (x+1x)f(y)=f(xy)+f(yx)\left(x+\frac{1}{x}\right)f(y)=f(xy)+f\left(\frac{y}{x}\right) for all x,y>0x,y>0.

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

To determine all functions f:(0,)R f:(0,\infty)\to\mathbb{R} satisfying the functional equation:

(x+1x)f(y)=f(xy)+f(yx) \left(x + \frac{1}{x}\right)f(y) = f(xy) + f\left(\frac{y}{x}\right)

for all x,y>0 x, y > 0 , we proceed as follows:

### Step 1: Analyze the Functional Equation

The given functional equation is:

(x+1x)f(y)=f(xy)+f(yx). (x + \frac{1}{x})f(y) = f(xy) + f\left(\frac{y}{x}\right).

This equation should hold for all positive x x and y y .

### Step 2: Investigate Special Cases

1. **Case y=1 y = 1 :**
Substituting y=1 y = 1 into the equation gives:

(x+1x)f(1)=f(x)+f(1x). (x + \frac{1}{x})f(1) = f(x) + f\left(\frac{1}{x}\right).

Let f(1)=c f(1) = c . Then the equation becomes:

xc+cx=f(x)+f(1x). xc + \frac{c}{x} = f(x) + f\left(\frac{1}{x}\right).

Let's denote this equation as (1).

2. **Case x=1 x = 1 :**
Substituting x=1 x = 1 into the original equation gives:

(1+1)f(y)=f(y)+f(y), (1 + 1)f(y) = f(y) + f(y),

Simplifying, we simply find:

2f(y)=2f(y), 2f(y) = 2f(y),

which is trivially true for any f f .

### Step 3: Guessing the Form of f(x) f(x)

Given that substitution does not directly solve the equation uniquely, we guess a form based on the symmetry and behavior of the functions involved. Suppose:

f(x)=ax+bx, f(x) = ax + \frac{b}{x},

where a a and b b are constants. We will test if this form satisfies the functional equation.

### Step 4: Verify f(x)=ax+bx f(x) = ax + \frac{b}{x}

Substitute f(x)=ax+bx f(x) = ax + \frac{b}{x} into the original functional equation:

(x+1x)f(y)=f(xy)+f(yx). \left(x + \frac{1}{x}\right)f(y) = f(xy) + f\left(\frac{y}{x}\right).

Compute:

- Left Side:

(x+1x)(ay+by)=(x+1x)(ay+by)=axy+axy+bxy+bxy. \left(x + \frac{1}{x}\right)\left(ay + \frac{b}{y}\right) = (x + \frac{1}{x})\left(ay + \frac{b}{y}\right) = axy + \frac{ax}{y} + \frac{b}{x}y + \frac{b}{xy}.

- Right Side:

f(xy)+f(yx)=(axy+bxy)+(ayx+byx)=axy+bxy+ayx+bxy. f(xy) + f\left(\frac{y}{x}\right) = \left(axy + \frac{b}{xy}\right) + \left(a\frac{y}{x} + \frac{b}{\frac{y}{x}}\right) = axy + \frac{b}{xy} + \frac{ay}{x} + \frac{bx}{y}.

Both sides simplify to:

axy+bxy+ayx+bxy. axy + \frac{b}{xy} + \frac{ay}{x} + \frac{bx}{y}.

Thus our guessed function satisfies the original equation, confirming the solution form.

### Conclusion

The functions of the form f(x)=ax+bx f(x) = ax + \frac{b}{x} , where a a and b b are constants, satisfy the given functional equation. Hence the set of all such functions is:

f(x)=ax+bx. \boxed{f(x) = ax + \frac{b}{x}}.

This confirms that the reference solution is correct.

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