Problem

Source: 2022 Taiwan TST Round 3 Mock P4

Tags: function, algebra, functional equation, domain, ming



Let $\mathcal{X}$ be the collection of all non-empty subsets (not necessarily finite) of the positive integer set $\mathbb{N}$. Determine all functions $f: \mathcal{X} \to \mathbb{R}^+$ satisfying the following properties: (i) For all $S$, $T \in \mathcal{X}$ with $S\subseteq T$, there holds $f(T) \le f(S)$. (ii) For all $S$, $T \in \mathcal{X}$, there hold \[f(S) + f(T) \le f(S + T),\quad f(S)f(T) = f(S\cdot T), \]where $S + T = \{s + t\mid s\in S, t\in T\}$ and $S \cdot T = \{s\cdot t\mid s\in S, t\in T\}$. Proposed by Li4, Untro368, and Ming Hsiao.