684 Number Theory
or
rn≤
r 1
1
+
r 2
2
+
r 3
3
+···+
rn
n
.
Truncate the sum on the right to the(q− 1 )st term. Sincepandqare coprime, the
numbersr 1 ,r 2 ,...,rq− 1 are a permutation of 1, 2 ,...,q−1. Applying this fact and the
AM–GM inequality, we obtain
r 1
1
+
r 2
2
+
r 3
3
+···+
rq− 1
q− 1
≥(q− 1 )
(
r 1
1
·
r 2
2
·
r 3
3
···
rq− 1
q− 1
) 1 /(q− 1 )
=(q− 1 )≥rn.
This proves the (weaker) inequality
r 1
1
+
r 2
2
+
r 3
3
+···+
rn
n
≥rn,
and consequently the inequality from the statement of the problem.
(O.P. Lossers)
722.Letx 1 be the golden ratio, i.e., the (unique) positive root of the equationx^2 −x− 1 =
- We claim that the following identity holds:
⌊
x 1
⌊
x 1 n+
1
2
⌋
+
1
2
⌋
=
⌊
x 1 +
1
2
⌋
+n.
If this were so, then the functionf (n)=x 1 n+^12 would satisfy the functional equation.
Also, sinceα=^1 +
√ 5
2 >1,fwould be strictly increasing, and so it would provide an
example of a function that satisfies the conditions from the statement.
To prove the claim, we only need to show that
⌊
(x 1 − 1 )
⌊
x 1 n+
1
2
⌋
+
1
2
⌋
=n.
We have
⌊
(x 1 − 1 )
⌊
x 1 n+
1
2
⌋
+
1
2
⌋
≤
⌊
(x 1 − 1 )
(
x 1 n+
1
2
)
+
1
2
⌋
=
⌊
x 1 n+n−x 1 n+
x 1
2
⌋
=n.
Also,
n=
⌊
n+
2 −x 1
2
⌋
≤
⌊
(x 1 − 1 )
(
x 1 n−
1
2
)
+
1
2
⌋
≤
⌊
(x 1 − 1 )
⌊
x 1 n+