2
$\begingroup$

Are there two real-valued functions defined on the same subset of $\mathbb{R}$ that commute with each other but are not inverses of each other? (After several responses, I have to make an edit to my post. Neither function should be the identity function nor the zero function. The two functions should not be the same function.)

  • 1
    $f:x\mapsto x$, $g:x\mapsto 2x$ ?2017-02-02
  • 0
    $f(x)=0$ for all $x\in\mathbb{R}$ and $g:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ any function with $g(0)=0$.2017-02-02
  • 2
    $f(x)=x^3$, and $g(x)=x^4$.2017-02-02
  • 0
    @dxiv I wanted examples of functions defined on $\mathbb{R}$. Remember, one of the tags is pre-Calculus.2017-02-02
  • 0
    @user74973 The [accepted answer](http://math.stackexchange.com/a/11442/291201) to that question is about real functions - polynomials and rational functions, with the Chebyshev polynomials being a classic example. The question is indeed interesting (and I actually +1'd it) but it's hard to give a better answer without shamelessly copy/pasting the other answer.2017-02-02

4 Answers 4

0

You can use $f, g \colon \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$ with $f(x) = \pi \, x$ and $g(x) = \mathrm{e} \, x$.

2

$f$ commutes with itself, just take $f$ so that $f\circ f$ is not the identity.

for another example, take $f$ and $f\circ f$, and let $f$ be any function such that $f\circ f$ and $f\circ f \circ f$ are not the identity.

  • 0
    I forgot to exclude that case.2017-02-02
  • 0
    done${}{}{}{}{}$2017-02-02
2

For example $f(x)=x^m\,$, $\,g(x)=x^n\,$.

  • 0
    For example, $m=2$ and $n=1/3$.2017-02-02
  • 0
    @user74973 That works, but in general you may need to restrict the domain to $\mathbb{R}^+\,$ once you take non-integer exponents, for example $m=3, n=1/2\,$.2017-02-02
  • 0
    Yep. I was careful in my choices.2017-02-02
0

$f(x)=x$ and $g(x)=1/x$ for $x \in (0, \infty)$

  • 0
    I forgot to exclude the case that one of the functions is the identity function.2017-02-02