Olympiad problems

2020 Miklós Schweitzer, 8

Let $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ denote the $p$-element field for a prime $p>3$ and let $S$ be the set of functions from $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ to $\mathbb{F}_{p}$. Find all functions $D\colon S\to S$ satisfying \[D(f\circ g)=(D(f)\circ g)\cdot D(g)\] for all $f,g \in {S}$. Here, $\circ$ denotes the function composition, so $(f\circ g)(x)$ is the function $f(g(x))$, and $\cdot$ denotes multiplication, so $(f\cdot g)=f(x)g(x)$.

2003 Germany Team Selection Test, 1

Tags: algebra , functional equation

Find all functions $f$ from the reals to the reals such that \[f\left(f(x)+y\right)=2x+f\left(f(y)-x\right)\] for all real $x,y$.

1983 IMO Shortlist, 11

Tags: algebra , functional equation , continuous function

Let $f : [0, 1] \to \mathbb R$ be continuous and satisfy: \[ \begin{cases}bf(2x) = f(x), &\mbox{ if } 0 \leq x \leq 1/2,\\ f(x) = b + (1 - b)f(2x - 1), &\mbox{ if } 1/2 \leq x \leq 1,\end{cases}\] where $b = \frac{1+c}{2+c}$, $c > 0$. Show that $0 < f(x)-x < c$ for every $x, 0 < x < 1.$

2021 Flanders Math Olympiad, 4

Tags: inequalities , functional , algebra , functional equation

(a) Prove that for every $x \in R$ holds that $$-1 \le \frac{x}{x^2 + x + 1} \le \frac 13$$ (b) Determine all functions $f : R \to R$ for which for every $x \in R$ holds that $$f \left( \frac{x}{x^2 + x + 1} \right) = \frac{x^2}{x^4 + x^2 + 1}$$

2007 Grigore Moisil Intercounty, 3

Tags: function , injectivity , algebra , functional equation

Find the natural numbers $ a $ that have the property that there exists a function $ f:\mathbb{N}\longrightarrow\mathbb{N} $ such that $ f(f(n))=a+n, $ for any natural number $ n, $ and the function $ g:\mathbb{N}\longrightarrow\mathbb{N} $ defined as $ g(n)=f(n)-n $ is injective.

2021 Turkey Team Selection Test, 8

Tags: algebra , functional equation , function

Let $c$ be a real number. For all $x$ and $y$ real numbers we have, \[f(x-f(y))=f(x-y)+c(f(x)-f(y))\] and $f(x)$ is not constant. $a)$ Find all possible values of $c$. $b)$ Can $f$ be periodic?

2010 Brazil Team Selection Test, 4

Tags: function , algebra , functional equation

Find all functions $f$ from the set of real numbers into the set of real numbers which satisfy for all $x$, $y$ the identity \[ f\left(xf(x+y)\right) = f\left(yf(x)\right) +x^2\] [i]Proposed by Japan[/i]

1998 Slovenia National Olympiad, Problem 2

Tags: polynomial , fe , functional equation

Find all polynomials $p$ with real coefficients such that for all real $x$ $$(x-8)p(2x)=8(x-1)p(x).$$

2007 Korea Junior Math Olympiad, 6

Tags: algebra , bijective function , functional equation , function

Let $T = \{1,2,...,10\}$. Find the number of bijective functions $f : T\to T$ that satises the following for all $x \in T$: $f(f(x)) = x$ $|f(x) - x| \ge 2$

2013 Costa Rica - Final Round, F2

Tags: functional equation , functional , algebra

Find all functions $f:R -\{0,2\} \to R$ that satisfy for all $x \ne 0,2$ $$f(x) \cdot \left(f\left(\sqrt[3]{\frac{2+x}{2-x}}\right) \right)^2=\frac{x^3}{4}$$

1998 Slovenia Team Selection Test, 1

Tags: functional equation , functional , algebra

Find all functions $f : R \to R$ that satisfy $f((x-y)^2)= f(x)^2 -2x f(y)+y^2$ for all $x,y \in R$

2006 Germany Team Selection Test, 1

Tags: function , algebra , functional equation

We denote by $\mathbb{R}^\plus{}$ the set of all positive real numbers. Find all functions $f: \mathbb R^ \plus{} \rightarrow\mathbb R^ \plus{}$ which have the property: \[f(x)f(y)\equal{}2f(x\plus{}yf(x))\] for all positive real numbers $x$ and $y$. [i]Proposed by Nikolai Nikolov, Bulgaria[/i]

2021 Sharygin Geometry Olympiad, 20

Tags: euler , geometry , functional equation

The mapping $f$ assigns a circle to every triangle in the plane so that the following conditions hold. (We consider all nondegenerate triangles and circles of nonzero radius.) [b](a)[/b] Let $\sigma$ be any similarity in the plane and let $\sigma$ map triangle $\Delta_1$ onto triangle $\Delta_2$. Then $\sigma$ also maps circle $f(\Delta_1)$ onto circle $f(\Delta_2)$. [b](b)[/b] Let $A,B,C$ and $D$ be any four points in general position. Then circles $f(ABC),f(BCD),f(CDA)$ and $f(DAB)$ have a common point. Prove that for any triangle $\Delta$, the circle $f(\Delta)$ is the Euler circle of $\Delta$.

2020 USEMO, 4

Tags: algebra , functional equation

A function $f$ from the set of positive real numbers to itself satisfies $$f(x + f(y) + xy) = xf(y) + f(x + y)$$ for all positive real numbers $x$ and $y$. Prove that $f(x) = x$ for all positive real numbers $x$.

2013 Thailand Mathematical Olympiad, 6

Tags: functional equation , functional , algebra

Determine all functions $f$ : $\mathbb R\to\mathbb R$ satisfying $(x^2+y^2)f(xy)=f(x)f(y)f(x^2+y^2)$ $\forall x,y\in\mathbb R$

2010 Indonesia TST, 1

Tags: algebra , functional , functional equation

Find all functions $ f : R \to R$ that satisfies $$xf(y) - yf(x)= f\left(\frac{y}{x}\right)$$ for all $x, y \in R$.

2020 Nordic, 4

Tags: functional equation , functional , algebra

Find all functions $f : R- \{-1\} \to R$ such that $$f(x)f \left( f \left(\frac{1 - y}{1 + y} \right)\right) = f\left(\frac{x + y}{xy + 1}\right) $$ for all $x, y \in R$ that satisfy $(x + 1)(y + 1)(xy + 1) \ne 0$.

2024-IMOC, N6

Tags: number theory , functional equation

Find all functions $f:\mathbb{Q}^+\to\mathbb{Q}^+$ such that \[xy(f(x)-f(y))|x-f(f(y))\] holds for all positive rationals $x$, $y$ (we define that $a|b$ if and only if exist $n \in \mathbb{Z}$ such that $b=an$) [i]Proposed by supercarry & windleaf1A[/i]

1977 IMO Longlists, 24

Tags: function , functional equation , algebra

Determine all real functions $f(x)$ that are defined and continuous on the interval $(-1, 1)$ and that satisfy the functional equation \[f(x+y)=\frac{f(x)+f(y)}{1-f(x) f(y)} \qquad (x, y, x + y \in (-1, 1)).\]

PEN K Problems, 6

Tags: function , algebra , polynomial , functional equation

Find all functions $f: \mathbb{N}\to \mathbb{N}$ such that for all $n\in \mathbb{N}$: \[f^{(19)}(n)+97f(n)=98n+232.\]

2013 Romanian Masters In Mathematics, 2

Tags: function , floor function , induction , algebra , functional equation

Does there exist a pair $(g,h)$ of functions $g,h:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ such that the only function $f:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ satisfying $f(g(x))=g(f(x))$ and $f(h(x))=h(f(x))$ for all $x\in\mathbb{R}$ is identity function $f(x)\equiv x$?

2017 QEDMO 15th, 4

Tags: functional equation , functional , algebra

Find all functions $f: R \to R$ for which the image $f ([a, b])$ for all real $a \le b$ is (not necessarily closed!) interval of length $b - a$.

2013 USA Team Selection Test, 4

Tags: function , induction , functional equation , combinatorics , arrows , algebra

Let $f: \mathbb{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{N}$ be a function, and let $f^m$ be $f$ applied $m$ times. Suppose that for every $n \in \mathbb{N}$ there exists a $k \in \mathbb{N}$ such that $f^{2k}(n)=n+k$, and let $k_n$ be the smallest such $k$. Prove that the sequence $k_1,k_2,\ldots $ is unbounded. [i]Proposed by Palmer Mebane, United States[/i]

1977 IMO Longlists, 2

Tags: algebra , functional inequality , functional equation

Find all functions $f : \mathbb{N}\rightarrow \mathbb{N}$ satisfying following condition: \[f(n+1)>f(f(n)), \quad \forall n \in \mathbb{N}.\]

2025 Alborz Mathematical Olympiad, P1

Tags: positive integer , functional equation , number theory , algebra

Let $ \mathbb{Z^{+}} $ denote the set of all positive integers. Find all functions $ f: \mathbb{Z^{+}} \rightarrow \mathbb{Z^{+}} $ such that for every pair of positive integers $ a $ and $ b $, there exists a positive integer $ c $ satisfying: $$ f(a)f(b) - ab = 2^{c-1} - 1. $$ Proposed by Matin Yousefi