TITLE: For function $f:[0,1]\rightarrow \Bbb R$ we know : $f(x+y)\geq f(x)+f(y)$.Prove that $f(x)\leq 2x$
QUESTION [9 upvotes]: Function $f:[0,1]\rightarrow \Bbb R$ holds in the following conditions :
   1) $f(1)=1$
   2) $\forall x \in [0,1]: f(x)\geq 0$
   3) $\forall x,y,x+y \in [0,1]: f(x+y)\geq f(x)+f(y)$.
  Prove that $\forall x \in [0,1] : f(x)\leq 2x$  

I tested values $0,\frac12$ in the given formula and got the following results:
$$f(0)=0 , f(\frac12)\leq \frac12,f(x)\leq \frac{f(2x)}{2}$$
Please help complete the proof.

REPLY [7 votes]: Case 1: $x ≥ 1/2$.
Let $x \in [0,1]$, and set $y = 1 - x$. Then $1 = f(x+y)≥ f(x)+f(y) ≥ f(x)$. This tells us that $f$ is bounded above by $1$. Hence to show that $f(x) ≤ 2x$ for all $x \in [0,1]$, it now suffices to show that it holds for $x < 1/2$. (If $x ≥ 1/2$, then $f(x) ≤ 1 ≤ 2x$ so we are done.)
Case 2: $1/4 ≤ x < 1/2$.
We also have, as you discovered, $$f(1/2) = \frac{f(1/2)+f(1/2)}{2} \leq \frac{f(1)}{2} = \frac{1}{2}$$
Let $x \in [0,1/2)$. Let $y = 1/2-x$. Then $1/2 ≥ f(x+y) ≥ f(x) + f(y) ≥ f(x)$. So now, by the same argument as case 1, we have $f(x) ≤ 2x$ for $x ≥ 1/4$.
Case 3: $1/8 ≤ x < 1/4$.
$$f(1/4) = \frac{f(1/4)+f(1/4)}{2} \leq \frac{f(1/2)}{2} ≤ \frac{1}{4}$$
Can you see the pattern? Given any $x \in (0,1]$, a "finite descent" tells us that $f(x) ≤ 2x$. As for $x = 0$, we see that $0≤ f(0) ≤ f(1+0) - f(1) = 1-1 = 0$.
Hence we are done!