AlgebraDifficulty 4.9AIMEProve itCzech-Polish-Slovak Mathematical Match
Let n be a given positive integer. Solve the system of equations x1+x22+x33+⋯+xnnx1+2x2+3x3+⋯+nxn=n,=2n(n+1) in the set of nonnegative real numbers x1,x2,…,xn.
Solution
Suppose x1,x2,…,xn satisfy the equations above. Then we have 0=x1+x22+x33+⋯+xnn−n−(x1+2x2+3x3+⋯+nxn−21n(n+1))=(x22−2x2+2−1)+(x33−3x3+3−1)+⋯+(xnn−nxn+n−1). However, the expressions in the brackets are nonnegative. Indeed, for k≥2 and x≥0 we have, by the AM-GM inequality, xk+k−1=xk+1+1+⋯+1≥k⋅kxk=kx and the equality holds if and only if x=1. Therefore we have x2=x3=⋯=xn=1 and, by the first equation, x1=1.
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