Question Details

If f(x) + 2f (1 – x) = x² + 2 ∀ x ∈ R, then f(x) =

Options

A

x² – 2

B

1

C

1/3 (x – 2)²

D

None of these

Correct Answer :

1/3 (x – 2)²

Solution :

The correct option is 1/3 (x – 2)².

To find the function f(x), we are given the functional equation:
f(x)+2f(1-x)=x2+2         — (Equation 1)
for all real numbers x.

To solve this equation, we can substitute 1-x in place of x throughout Equation 1. This gives:
f(1-x)+2f(1-(1-x))=(1-x)2+2

Simplifying the terms inside the functions and expanding the right-hand side:
f(1-x)+2f(x)=(1-2x+x2)+2
2f(x)+f(1-x)=x2-2x+3         — (Equation 2)

Now we have a system of two linear equations in terms of f(x) and f(1-x):
1)   f(x)+2f(1-x)=x2+2
2)   2f(x)+f(1-x)=x2-2x+3

To eliminate the term f(1-x), we multiply Equation 2 by 2:
4f(x)+2f(1-x)=2x2-4x+6         — (Equation 3)

Now, subtract Equation 1 from Equation 3:
[4f(x)+2f(1-x)]-[f(x)+2f(1-x)]=(2x2-4x+6)-(x2+2)
3f(x)=x2-4x+4

Recognizing that the right-hand side is a perfect square, we can rewrite it:
3f(x)=(x-2)2

Dividing both sides by 3, we obtain the expression for f(x):
f(x)=13(x-2)2

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