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Algebra Difficulty 8.3 Shortlist Find the answer

Find all function f:RRf:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow\mathbb{R} such that for all x,yRx,y\in\mathbb{R} the following equality holds f(xy)=f(x)f(y) f(\left\lfloor x\right\rfloor y)=f(x)\left\lfloor f(y)\right\rfloor where a\left\lfloor a\right\rfloor is greatest integer not greater than a.a.

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

Solution

To solve the functional equation
f(xy)=f(x)f(y) f(\left\lfloor x\right\rfloor y) = f(x) \left\lfloor f(y) \right\rfloor
for all x,yR x, y \in \mathbb{R} , where a \left\lfloor a \right\rfloor denotes the greatest integer not greater than a a , we proceed as follows:

### Step 1: Analyze the Equation for x=0 x = 0

Substitute x=0 x = 0 into the equation:
f(0y)=f(0)f(y). f(\left\lfloor 0 \right\rfloor y) = f(0) \left\lfloor f(y) \right\rfloor.
Since 0=0 \left\lfloor 0 \right\rfloor = 0 , we have:
f(0)=f(0)f(y). f(0) = f(0) \left\lfloor f(y) \right\rfloor.
This equation implies that either f(0)=0 f(0) = 0 or f(y)=1 \left\lfloor f(y) \right\rfloor = 1 for all y y .

### Step 2: Consider the Case f(0)=0 f(0) = 0

If f(0)=0 f(0) = 0 , the equation becomes:
f(xy)=f(x)f(y). f(\left\lfloor x\right\rfloor y) = f(x) \left\lfloor f(y) \right\rfloor.
Substituting y=1 y = 1 gives:
f(x)=f(x)f(1). f(\left\lfloor x \right\rfloor) = f(x) \left\lfloor f(1) \right\rfloor.
If f(1)=0 \left\lfloor f(1) \right\rfloor = 0 , then f(x)=0 f(x) = 0 for all x x , which is one possible solution. Thus, f(x)=0xR f(x) = 0 \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R} .

### Step 3: Consider the Case f(y)=1 \left\lfloor f(y) \right\rfloor = 1

If f(y)=1 \left\lfloor f(y) \right\rfloor = 1 for all y y , then:
1f(y)<2 for all y. 1 \le f(y) < 2 \text{ for all } y.
In this case, the original equation simplifies to:
f(xy)=f(x). f(\left\lfloor x \right\rfloor y) = f(x).
For all y0 y \neq 0 , choosing x=0 x = 0 gives:
f(0)=f(0)trivial identity. f(0) = f(0) \quad \text{trivial identity}.
For specific y y values like y=nZ y = n \in \mathbb{Z} , if 1f(n)<2 1 \leq f(n) < 2 , and considering continuity or piecewise constant functions, one possible solution is that f(x)=cxR f(x) = c \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R} , where 1c<2 1 \leq c < 2 .

### Conclusion

Therefore, the functions f:RR f: \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R} that satisfy the given functional equation are:
f(x)=0xR,f(x)=cxR, where 1c<2. \boxed{f(x) = 0 \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R}, \quad f(x) = c \quad \forall x \in \mathbb{R}, \text{ where } 1 \leq c < 2}.

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