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Algebra Difficulty 7.8 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it India

Let x1,x2,,x2024x_1, x_2, \dots, x_{2024} be non-negative real numbers such that x1x2x2024x_1 \le x_2 \le \dots \le x_{2024}, and x13+x23++x20243=2024x_1^3 + x_2^3 + \dots + x_{2024}^3 = 2024. Prove that
1i<j2024(1)i+jxi2xj1012. \sum_{1 \le i < j \le 2024} (-1)^{i+j} x_i^2 x_j \ge -1012.

Solution

We want that
1i<j2024(1)i+jxi2xj1012. \sum_{1 \le i < j \le 2024} (-1)^{i+j} x_i^2 x_j \ge -1012.
Now, observe that the LHS is
(i=11012x2i12x2i)+i=11012((x2i2x2i12)(j<i1012(x2jx2j1))). - \left( \sum_{i=1}^{1012} x_{2i-1}^2 x_{2i} \right) + \sum_{i=1}^{1012} \left( (x_{2i}^2 - x_{2i-1}^2) \left( \sum_{j<i \le 1012} (x_{2j} - x_{2j-1}) \right) \right).
But, x2i2x2i12x_{2i}^2 \ge x_{2i-1}^2 and x2jx2j1x_{2j} \ge x_{2j-1}, thus we will be done if i=11012x2i12x2i1012\sum_{i=1}^{1012} x_{2i-1}^2 x_{2i} \le 1012. But,
3x2i12x2i2x2i13+x2i33x2i13+x2i32. 3x_{2i-1}^2 x_{2i} \le 2x_{2i-1}^3 + x_{2i}^3 \le 3 \cdot \frac{x_{2i-1}^3 + x_{2i}^3}{2}.
Thus, we just need i=11012x2i13+x2i321012\sum_{i=1}^{1012} \frac{x_{2i-1}^3+x_{2i}^3}{2} \le 1012 but this is precisely the given condition so we are done!

Solution:
We use induction on kk to show the following: given non-negative reals x1x2x2kx_1 \le x_2 \le \dots \le x_{2k}, we have
i=12kxi3+21i<j2k(1)i+jxi2xj0 \sum_{i=1}^{2k} x_i^3 + 2 \sum_{1 \le i < j \le 2k} (-1)^{i+j} x_i^2 x_j \ge 0
with equality iff x2i1=x2ix_{2i-1} = x_{2i}. This suffices since x13+x23++x20243=2024x_1^3 + x_2^3 + \dots + x_{2024}^3 = 2024.
Note that the left-hand side can be written as x2k32cx2k+dx_{2k}^3 - 2cx_{2k} + d, where
c=x2k12x2k22+x22+x12 c = x_{2k-1}^2 - x_{2k-2}^2 + \dots - x_2^2 + x_1^2
and
d=i=12k1xi3+21i<j2k1(1)i+jxi2xj0 d = \sum_{i=1}^{2k-1} x_i^3 + 2 \sum_{1 \le i < j \le 2k-1} (-1)^{i+j} x_i^2 x_j \ge 0
are independent of x2kx_{2k}. Consider the function f(x)=x32cx+df(x) = x^3 - 2cx + d. Its derivative is 3x22c3x^2 - 2c, and so ff is increasing as long as x22c/3x^2 \ge 2c/3. However,
c=x2k12+(x2k22+x2k32)++(x22+x12)x2k12, c = x_{2k-1}^2 + (-x_{2k-2}^2 + x_{2k-3}^2) + \dots + (-x_2^2 + x_1^2) \le x_{2k-1}^2,
so either c<0c < 0, in which case x2k120>2c/3x_{2k-1}^2 \ge 0 > 2c/3, or c0c \ge 0, in which case x2k12c2c/3x_{2k-1}^2 \ge c \ge 2c/3.
Thus we must have
f(x2k)f(x2k1)=i=12k2xi3+21i<j2k2(1)i+jxi2xj f(x_{2k}) \ge f(x_{2k-1}) = \sum_{i=1}^{2k-2} x_i^3 + 2 \sum_{1 \le i < j \le 2k-2} (-1)^{i+j} x_i^2 x_j
and the rest follows by induction. \square

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