A functional equations problem in architecture (Q1083624)

The reference to ''architecture'' in the title of this paper is to a text by \textit{C. Alsina} and \textit{E. Trillas} [Lecciones de Algebra y Geometria (Curso para estudiantes de Arquitectura), Edt. S. A. Gustavo Gili (1984)] which contains a discussion in chapter ten in which two rectangles having side lengths x,y and \(y^ 2/x,y\) are considered to be ''aesthetically equal''. Let f:(0,\(\infty)\times (0,\infty)\to [1,\infty)\) satisfy the system of functional equations \(f(x,y)=f(y^ 2/x,y)\), \(f(x,y)=f(y,x)\), and \(f(x,x)=1\). Independently, the author [Problems and Remarks, Aequationes Math. 29, 101-102 (1985)] and \textit{Z. Moszner} [Problems and Remarks, ibid. 29, 102-104 (1985)] obtained the general solution of this system. The present note considers the following three problems: A. Find necessary and sufficient conditions such that a solution of the system has the form \(f(x,y)=g(Max\{x,y\}/Min\{x,y\});\) B. Find the general continuous solution of the system; C. Find the general \(C^ 1\)-solution. A solution is of the form \(f(x,y)=g(Max\{x,y\}/Min\{x,y\})\) if and only if \(\lim_{x\to 0+}f(x,tx)\) exists for all \(t\in (0,1)\) (g:[1,\(\infty)\to [1,\infty)\) with \(g(1)=1)\). Let \(H=\{(x,y)| x\in (0,1]\), \(y\in (0,x^ 2]\}\). If \(\phi\) :H\(\to [1,\infty)\) satisfies \(\phi (1,1)=1\), \(\phi (t,t^ 2)=\phi (1,t)\) for all \(t\in (0,1)\), \(\phi\) continuous, and is otherwise arbitrary then, there exists a unique continuous function f which satisfies the system of functional equations and for which \(f| H=\phi\). If, in addition to the conditions stated in the preceding paragraph, the first order partial derivatives \(\phi_ x\) and \(\phi_ y\) exist and are continuous in \(H\setminus \{(1,1)\}\), the limits of the four quantities \((\phi (x,y)-1)/(x-y),\phi_ x(x,y)\), \(\phi_ y(x,y)\), \((x\phi_ x(x,y)+y\phi_ y(x,y))/(x-y)\) exist for (x,y)\(\to (1,1)\) and are all equal to zero (where (x,y)\(\in H\setminus \{(1,1)\})\), \(\phi_ x(t,t^ 2)=(2/t)\phi_ x(1,t)+\phi_ y(1,t)\) and \(\phi_ y(t,t^ 2)=(-1/t^ 2)\phi_ x(1,t)\) for all \(t\in (0,1)\) then, there exists a unique continuous function f which satisfies the system of functional equations, has continuous derivatives \(f_ x\) and \(f_ y\), and for which \(f| H=\phi.\) Finally, let D and I be nonempty sets, B a nonempty set of bijections on D, \(F=\{x| x\in D,\beta (x)=x\) for all \(\beta\in B\}\). For a subset M of F and a fixed element \(\delta\) of I, the general solution f:D\(\to I\) of \(f(x)=f(\beta (x))\) for all \(x\in D\) and for all \(\beta\in B\) such that \(f(x)=\delta\) for all \(x\in M\) is obtained. With the appropriate choices of D,I,B, and M (these are specifically given in the paper) the system of functional equations discussed above can be obtained from this generalization. This generalization can also be applied to the corresponding three dimensional architecture problem.