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PrintSaudi Arabia Mathematical Competitions 2012
Saudi Arabia 2012 algebra
Problem
Let be the set of positive integers. Determine all functions such that divides for every pair of positive integers and .
Solution
Consider . Then we get that is an integer, so divides . It follows , that is .
For , we obtain divides . Therefore , which means that for every positive integer .
For , we get divides , and hence , for every positive integer .
From the above inequalities it follows that the unique function is , .
For , we obtain divides . Therefore , which means that for every positive integer .
For , we get divides , and hence , for every positive integer .
From the above inequalities it follows that the unique function is , .
Final answer
f(x) = x for all positive integers x
Techniques
Functional EquationsDivisibility / Factorization