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Algebra Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Balkan Mathematical Olympiad

Let x1,x2,x3x_1, x_2, x_3 and x4x_4 be positive real numbers. Prove the inequality:
x1+3x2x2+x3+x2+3x3x3+x4+x3+3x4x4+x1+x4+3x1x1+x28. \frac{x_1 + 3x_2}{x_2 + x_3} + \frac{x_2 + 3x_3}{x_3 + x_4} + \frac{x_3 + 3x_4}{x_4 + x_1} + \frac{x_4 + 3x_1}{x_1 + x_2} \ge 8.

Solution

Let us denote
L(x1,x2,x3,x4)=x1+3x2x2+x3+x2+3x3x3+x4+x3+3x4x4+x1+x4+3x1x1+x2. L(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4) = \frac{x_1 + 3x_2}{x_2 + x_3} + \frac{x_2 + 3x_3}{x_3 + x_4} + \frac{x_3 + 3x_4}{x_4 + x_1} + \frac{x_4 + 3x_1}{x_1 + x_2}.
Notice that this function is cyclic, i.e. L(x1,x2,x3,x4)=L(x2,x3,x4,x1)=L(x3,x4,x1,x2)=L(x4,x1,x2,x3)L(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4) = L(x_2, x_3, x_4, x_1) = L(x_3, x_4, x_1, x_2) = L(x_4, x_1, x_2, x_3). Hence we can suppose that x1x3x_1 \ge x_3 and x4x2x_4 \ge x_2. We can also multiply all of the variables with a positive constant without changing its value, i.e. L(x1,x2,x3,x4)=L(cx1,cx2,cx3,cx4)L(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4) = L(c \cdot x_1, c \cdot x_2, c \cdot x_3, c \cdot x_4).

First we prove that L(u+v,0,u,1)8L(u + v, 0, u, 1) \ge 8 for positive numbers uu and vv. Indeed
L(u+v,0,u,1)=u+vu+3uu+1+u+31+u+v+1+3u+3vu+v= L(u + v, 0, u, 1) = \frac{u+v}{u} + \frac{3u}{u+1} + \frac{u+3}{1+u+v} + \frac{1+3u+3v}{u+v} =
1+vu+3+3u+1+1+2v1+u+v+3+1u+v= 1 + \frac{v}{u} + 3 + \frac{-3}{u+1} + 1 + \frac{2-v}{1+u+v} + 3 + \frac{1}{u+v} =
8+vuv1+u+v+3u+1+21+u+v+1u+v= 8 + \frac{v}{u} - \frac{v}{1+u+v} + \frac{-3}{u+1} + \frac{2}{1+u+v} + \frac{1}{u+v} =
8+v(1+v)u(1+u+v)+2v(u+1)(1+u+v)+1v(u+1)(u+v)= 8 + \frac{v(1+v)}{u(1+u+v)} + \frac{-2v}{(u+1)(1+u+v)} + \frac{1-v}{(u+1)(u+v)} =
8+v(1+v)u(u+1)(1+u+v)+v(1+v)(u+1)(1+u+v)+2v(u+1)(1+u+v)+1v(u+1)(u+v)= 8 + \frac{v(1+v)}{u(u+1)(1+u+v)} + \frac{v(1+v)}{(u+1)(1+u+v)} + \frac{-2v}{(u+1)(1+u+v)} + \frac{1-v}{(u+1)(u+v)} =
8+v(1+v)u(u+1)(1+u+v)+v(v1)(u+1)(1+u+v)+1v(u+1)(u+v) 8 + \frac{v(1+v)}{u(u+1)(1+u+v)} + \frac{v(v-1)}{(u+1)(1+u+v)} + \frac{1-v}{(u+1)(u+v)} \ge
8+v(1+v)(u+v)(u+1)(1+u+v)+(v1)(v(u+v)(1+u+v))(u+1)(1+u+v)(u+v)= 8 + \frac{v(1+v)}{(u+v)(u+1)(1+u+v)} + \frac{(v-1)(v(u+v)-(1+u+v))}{(u+1)(1+u+v)(u+v)} =
8+v(1+v)(v1)+(v1)2(u+v)(u+1)(1+u+v)(u+v)= 8 + \frac{v(1+v) - (v-1) + (v-1)^2(u+v)}{(u+1)(1+u+v)(u+v)} =
8+v2+1+(v1)2(u+v)(u+1)(1+u+v)(u+v)8. 8 + \frac{v^2 + 1 + (v-1)^2(u+v)}{(u+1)(1+u+v)(u+v)} \ge 8.
Also
L(u,0,v,0)=uv+3vv+vu+3uu=3+(uv+vu)+36+2uvvu=8. L(u, 0, v, 0) = \frac{u}{v} + \frac{3v}{v} + \frac{v}{u} + \frac{3u}{u} = 3 + \left(\frac{u}{v} + \frac{v}{u}\right) + 3 \ge 6 + 2 \cdot \sqrt{\frac{u}{v} \cdot \frac{v}{u}} = 8.
For a constant cc we have:
L(x1,x2,x3,x4)L(x1+c,x2c,x3+c,x4c)= L(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4) - L(x_1 + c, x_2 - c, x_3 + c, x_4 - c) =
(x1+3x2x2+x3+x2+3x3x3+x4+x3+3x4x4+x1+x4+3x1x1+x2) \left( \frac{x_1 + 3x_2}{x_2 + x_3} + \frac{x_2 + 3x_3}{x_3 + x_4} + \frac{x_3 + 3x_4}{x_4 + x_1} + \frac{x_4 + 3x_1}{x_1 + x_2} \right) -
(x1+c+3(x2c)x2+x3+x2c+3(x3+c)x3+x4+x3+c+3(x4c)x4+x1+x4c+3(x1+c)x1+x2)= \left( \frac{x_1 + c + 3(x_2 - c)}{x_2 + x_3} + \frac{x_2 - c + 3(x_3 + c)}{x_3 + x_4} + \frac{x_3 + c + 3(x_4 - c)}{x_4 + x_1} + \frac{x_4 - c + 3(x_1 + c)}{x_1 + x_2} \right) =
2cx2+x32cx3+x4+2cx4+x12cx1+x2= \frac{2c}{x_2 + x_3} - \frac{2c}{x_3 + x_4} + \frac{2c}{x_4 + x_1} - \frac{2c}{x_1 + x_2} =
2c(x4x2(x2+x3)(x3+x4)x4x2(x4+x1)(x1+x2))= 2c \left( \frac{x_4 - x_2}{(x_2 + x_3)(x_3 + x_4)} - \frac{x_4 - x_2}{(x_4 + x_1)(x_1 + x_2)} \right) =
2c(x4x2)((x4+x1)(x1+x2)(x2+x3)(x3+x4))(x2+x3)(x3+x4)(x4+x1)(x1+x2)= \frac{2c(x_4 - x_2)((x_4 + x_1)(x_1 + x_2) - (x_2 + x_3)(x_3 + x_4))}{(x_2 + x_3)(x_3 + x_4)(x_4 + x_1)(x_1 + x_2)} =
2c(x4x2)(x1(x1+x2+x4)+x2x4x3(x3+x2+x4)x2x4)(x2+x3)(x3+x4)(x4+x1)(x1+x2)= \frac{2c(x_4 - x_2)(x_1(x_1 + x_2 + x_4) + x_2x_4 - x_3(x_3 + x_2 + x_4) - x_2x_4)}{(x_2 + x_3)(x_3 + x_4)(x_4 + x_1)(x_1 + x_2)} =
2c(x4x2)(x1x3)(x1+x3+x2+x4)(x2+x3)(x3+x4)(x4+x1)(x1+x2)= \frac{2c(x_4 - x_2)(x_1 - x_3)(x_1 + x_3 + x_2 + x_4)}{(x_2 + x_3)(x_3 + x_4)(x_4 + x_1)(x_1 + x_2)} =
Now if x2=x4x_2 = x_4 and c=x2c = x_2 we have L(x1,x2,x3,x4)=L(x1+x2,0,x3+x2,0)8L(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4) = L(x_1 + x_2, 0, x_3 + x_2, 0) \ge 8.

Similarly for x4>x2x_4 > x_2 and c=x2c = x_2 we have L(x1,x2,x3,x4)L(x1+x2,0,x3+x2,x4x2)L(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4) \ge L(x_1 + x_2, 0, x_3 + x_2, x_4 - x_2). Using x1x3x_1 \ge x_3 we get
x1+x2x4x2x3+x2x4x2 \frac{x_1 + x_2}{x_4 - x_2} \ge \frac{x_3 + x_2}{x_4 - x_2}
and
L(x1+x2,0,x3+x2,x4x2)=L(x1+x2x4x2,0,x3+x2x4x2,1)= L(x_1 + x_2, 0, x_3 + x_2, x_4 - x_2) = L\left(\frac{x_1 + x_2}{x_4 - x_2}, 0, \frac{x_3 + x_2}{x_4 - x_2}, 1\right) =
L(u+v,0,u,1)8, L(u + v, 0, u, 1) \ge 8,
where u=x3+x2x4x2u = \frac{x_3+x_2}{x_4-x_2} and v=x1x3x4x2v = \frac{x_1-x_3}{x_4-x_2}.

With this we proved that
x1+3x2x2+x3+x2+3x3x3+x4+x3+3x4x4+x1+x4+3x1x1+x28. \frac{x_1 + 3x_2}{x_2 + x_3} + \frac{x_2 + 3x_3}{x_3 + x_4} + \frac{x_3 + 3x_4}{x_4 + x_1} + \frac{x_4 + 3x_1}{x_1 + x_2} \ge 8.
for all positive real numbers x1,x2,x3x_1, x_2, x_3 and x4x_4.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.