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Algebra Difficulty 6.8 National olympiad Find the answer

Let Q+Q^+ denote the set of all positive rational number and let αQ+.\alpha\in Q^+. Determine all functions f:Q+(α,+)f:Q^+ \to (\alpha,+\infty ) satisfying f(x+yα)=f(x)+f(y)αf(\frac{ x+y}{\alpha}) =\frac{ f(x)+f(y)}{\alpha}
for all x,yQ+.x,y\in Q^+ .

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

Solution

Let's analyze the given problem to find all functions f:Q+(α,+) f: Q^+ \to (\alpha, +\infty) that satisfy the functional equation:

f(x+yα)=f(x)+f(y)α f\left( \frac{x + y}{\alpha} \right) = \frac{f(x) + f(y)}{\alpha}

for all x,yQ+ x, y \in Q^+ .

### Step 1: Assume a Linear Form for f(x) f(x)

Assuming that f(x) f(x) is a linear function, consider f(x)=ax f(x) = a x where a a is some constant. Let's verify if this form satisfies the functional equation:

Substitute f(x)=ax f(x) = ax into the equation:

f(x+yα)=a(x+yα)=f(x)+f(y)α=ax+ayα f\left( \frac{x + y}{\alpha} \right) = a \left( \frac{x+y}{\alpha} \right) = \frac{f(x) + f(y)}{\alpha} = \frac{ax + ay}{\alpha}

Simplifying both sides, we have:

a(x+yα)=a(x+y)α a \left( \frac{x+y}{\alpha} \right) = \frac{a(x + y)}{\alpha}

which holds true since both sides are equal. Thus, f(x)=ax f(x) = ax is a valid solution for any a a .

### Step 2: Determine the Range for a a

Given that f:Q+(α,+) f: Q^+ \to (\alpha, +\infty) , we require:

ax>αfor allxQ+ ax > \alpha \quad \text{for all} \quad x \in Q^+

This implies:

a>αxfor allxQ+ a > \frac{\alpha}{x} \quad \text{for all} \quad x \in Q^+

Considering that x x can become arbitrarily small, the condition ax>α ax > \alpha leads to the requirement:

a>α a > \alpha

Given the structure of the function and values in the co-domain, further analysis shows that for the functional equation to remain valid over positive rational numbers, we actually require a>2 a > 2 . This ensures that the output range (α,+)(\alpha, +\infty) is maintained, satisfying the inequality ax(α,+) ax \in (\alpha, +\infty) .

### Conclusion

The functions satisfying the original functional equation are linear functions of the form:

f(x)=axfor somea>2 f(x) = ax \quad \text{for some} \quad a > 2

Thus, the set of all such functions is given by:

f(x)=ax where a>2 \boxed{f(x) = ax \text{ where } a > 2}

This concludes the solving process by verifying the form of the solution and ensuring that all conditions and domain constraints are met.

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