Problem

Source: Central American Olympiad 2006, Problem 3

Tags: function, floor function, algebra proposed, algebra



For every natural number $n$ we define \[f(n)=\left\lfloor n+\sqrt{n}+\frac{1}{2}\right\rfloor\] Show that for every integer $k \geq 1$ the equation \[f(f(n))-f(n)=k\] has exactly $2k-1$ solutions.