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smc

number theory senior

Problem

Let be a function defined on the set of positive rational numbers with the property that for all positive rational numbers and . Suppose that also has the property that for every prime number . For which of the following numbers is ?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Solution
From the answer choices, note that On the other hand, we have Equating the expressions for produces from which Therefore, the answer is Remark Similarly, we can find the outputs of at the inputs of the other answer choices: \begin{alignat}{10} &\textbf{(A)} \qquad && f\left(\frac{17}{32}\right) \quad && = \quad && 7 \\ &\textbf{(B)} \qquad && f\left(\frac{11}{16}\right) \quad && = \quad && 3 \\ &\textbf{(C)} \qquad && f\left(\frac{7}{9}\right) \quad && = \quad && 1 \\ &\textbf{(D)} \qquad && f\left(\frac{7}{6}\right) \quad && = \quad && 2 \end{alignat} Alternatively, refer to Solutions 2 and 4 for the full processes.
Final answer
E