We are tasked with finding all functions f:R→R satisfying the equation:
f(xy)=f(x)f(y)+f(f(x+y))
for all x,y∈R.
### Step 1: Consideration of Simple Cases
First, let us consider the case where x=0:
f(0)=f(0)f(y)+f(f(y))
for all y∈R. Let f(0)=c. Thus, we have:
c=cf(y)+f(f(y))
Rearranging gives us:
f(f(y))=c(1−f(y))
### Step 2: Examine Constant Solutions
Let us consider if a constant function f(x)=c could be a solution:
1. If f(x)=0 for all x, then the equation becomes 0=0+0, which is always true. Hence, f(x)=0 is indeed a solution.
2. For nonzero constant f(x)=c, substitute into the original equation:
c=c⋅c+c
which implies:
c=c2+c
leading to the quadratic equation:
c2+c−c=0,⇒c(c+1)=0
This gives c=0 or c=−1. Thus, we need to check if f(x)=−1 is a valid solution. Substituting back:
f(xy)=−1=(−1)(−1)+f(f(x+y))=1+f(f(x+y))
Then f(f(x+y))=−2, which contradicts with the hypothesis that f≡−1. So f(x)=−1 is not a valid solution.
### Step 3: Consider Linear Solutions
Let's test if a linear function satisfies the equation. Suppose f(x)=ax+b. Substitute into the original equation:
f(xy)=a(xy)+b=(ax+b)(ay+b)+f(a(x+y)+b)
which simplifies to:
axy+b=a2xy+abx+aby+b2+f(ax+ay+2b)
To satisfy this for all x,y, we must have coefficients of xy: a=a2⇒a(a−1)=0. Hence, a=0 or a=1.
- If a=0, f(x)=b=0 (since we already know f(x)=0 is a solution).
- If a=1, substitute into simplified form:
xy+b=xy+x+y+b2+f(x+y+b)
From this, consequently b=−1. Thus, f(x)=x−1.
### Conclusion
The solutions are:
- f(x)=0
- f(x)=x−1
Thus, the functions f(x)=0 and f(x)=x−1 satisfy the given functional equation, and these are the solutions. Therefore, the final answer is:
f(x) = 0 and f(x) = x - 1