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Algebra Difficulty 7.9 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Middle European Mathematical Olympiad (MEMO)

Problem:
Let n2n \geqslant 2 be an integer and x1,x2,,xnx_{1}, x_{2}, \ldots, x_{n} be real numbers satisfying
(a) xj>1x_{j}>-1 for j=1,2,,nj=1,2, \ldots, n and
(b) x1+x2++xn=nx_{1}+x_{2}+\cdots+x_{n}=n.
Prove the inequality
j=1n11+xjj=1nxj1+xj2 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{1}{1+x_{j}} \geqslant \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{x_{j}}{1+x_{j}^{2}}
and determine when equality holds.

Solutions — 4

Solution 1

Solution:
We have to prove
j=1n11+xjj=1nxj1+xj2=j=1n1xj(1+xj)(1+xj2)0 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{1}{1+x_{j}}-\sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{x_{j}}{1+x_{j}^{2}}=\sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{1-x_{j}}{\left(1+x_{j}\right)\left(1+x_{j}^{2}\right)} \geqslant 0
We use the supporting line method and consider the function ff defined by
f(x)=1x(1+x)(1+x2) f(x)=\frac{1-x}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)}
for all x>1x>-1. The tangent line of ff at x=1x=1 is given by y=1x4y=\frac{1-x}{4}. We claim that
f(x)=1x(1+x)(1+x2)1x4 f(x)=\frac{1-x}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)} \geqslant \frac{1-x}{4}
for all x>1x>-1 with equality for x=1x=1. For x1x \geqslant 1 we get 4(1+x)(1+x2)4 \leqslant(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right) and for 1<x1-1<x \leqslant 1 we get 4(1+x)(1+x2)4 \geqslant(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right). Both inequalities are obviously true.

Now we conclude that
j=1n1xj(1+xj)(1+xj2)j=1n1xj4=0 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{1-x_{j}}{\left(1+x_{j}\right)\left(1+x_{j}^{2}\right)} \geqslant \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{1-x_{j}}{4}=0
and we are done.

Equality occurs if and only if all nn numbers are equal to 1 .

Solution 2

Solution:
Since 1+xj>01+x_{j}>0 for j=1,2,,nj=1,2, \ldots, n, Cauchy-Schwarz inequality yields
j=1n11+xjj=1n(1+xj)(j=1n1)2 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{1}{1+x_{j}} \cdot \sum_{j=1}^{n}\left(1+x_{j}\right) \geqslant\left(\sum_{j=1}^{n} 1\right)^{2}
which is equivalent to
j=1n11+xjn2 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{1}{1+x_{j}} \geqslant \frac{n}{2}
It therefore suffices to prove that
j=1nxj1+xj2n2 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{x_{j}}{1+x_{j}^{2}} \leqslant \frac{n}{2}
but this last inequality is equivalent to the trivial one
j=1n(1xj)21+xj20 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \frac{\left(1-x_{j}\right)^{2}}{1+x_{j}^{2}} \geqslant 0
so the inequation is proven.
In the last equation, we have equality if and only if xj=1x_{j}=1 for j=1,2,,nj=1,2, \ldots, n, and one can easily see that this is indeed a case of equality, so it is the only case of equality.

Solution 3

Solution:
The inequality is equivalent to
i=1n1xi(1+xi)(1+xi2)0 \sum_{i=1}^{n} \frac{1-x_{i}}{\left(1+x_{i}\right)\left(1+x_{i}^{2}\right)} \geqslant 0
As the functions f(x)=1xf(x)=1-x and g(x)=1(1+x)(1+x2)g(x)=\frac{1}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)} are both strictly decreasing, we can apply the Chebychev inequality to obtain:
ni=1n1xi(1+xi)(1+xi2)(i=1n1xi)(i=1n1(1+xi)(1+xi2))=0 n \cdot \sum_{i=1}^{n} \frac{1-x_{i}}{\left(1+x_{i}\right)\left(1+x_{i}^{2}\right)} \geqslant\left(\sum_{i=1}^{n} 1-x_{i}\right)\left(\sum_{i=1}^{n} \frac{1}{\left(1+x_{i}\right)\left(1+x_{i}^{2}\right)}\right)=0
So we're done.

Solution 4

Solution (via Lagrange multipliers):
Let us write f(x)=11+xx1+x2f(x)=\frac{1}{1+x}-\frac{x}{1+x^{2}}. We want to show that the expression f(x1)++f(xn)f\left(x_{1}\right)+\ldots+f\left(x_{n}\right) in the domain
D:x1,,xn>1,x1++xn=n D: x_{1}, \ldots, x_{n}>-1, x_{1}+\ldots+x_{n}=n
attains its minimal value 0 exactly at the point x1==xn=1x_{1}=\ldots=x_{n}=1.
We first consider the boundary of DD. This means that w. l. o. g. we may assume that x1=1x_{1}=-1, in which case the expression attains the value ++\infty, which is not the minimum.
We now look for minima in the interior of the domain: The method of Lagrange multipliers gives the Langrange function
F(x1,,xn,λ)=j=1n(f(xj)λ(xj1)) F\left(x_{1}, \ldots, x_{n}, \lambda\right)=\sum_{j=1}^{n}\left(f\left(x_{j}\right)-\lambda\left(x_{j}-1\right)\right)
and results in the system of equations
f(xj)=λ,j=1,,nj=1nxj=n \begin{aligned} f^{\prime}\left(x_{j}\right) & =\lambda, \quad j=1, \ldots, n \\ \sum_{j=1}^{n} x_{j} & =n \end{aligned}
Now note that
- f(x)=1(1+x)2+x21(1+x2)2=2(x3x2x1)(1+x)2(1+x2)2f^{\prime}(x)=\frac{-1}{(1+x)^{2}}+\frac{x^{2}-1}{\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{2}}=\frac{2\left(x^{3}-x^{2}-x-1\right)}{(1+x)^{2}\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{2}}.
- f(x)<0f^{\prime}(x)<0 for 1<x1-1<x \leqslant 1. This is obvious from the first expression for f(x)f^{\prime}(x).
- f(x)>0f^{\prime}(x)>0 for x>2x>2. This can be seen from the second expression for f(x)f^{\prime}(x), since for x>2x>2 we have 1+x+x2<x38+x34+x32<x31+x+x^{2}<\frac{x^{3}}{8}+\frac{x^{3}}{4}+\frac{x^{3}}{2}<x^{3}.
- f(x)=2x(3x2)(1+x2)3+2(1+x)3f^{\prime \prime}(x)=\frac{2 x\left(3-x^{2}\right)}{\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}+\frac{2}{(1+x)^{3}}.
- f(x)>0f^{\prime \prime}(x)>0 for 1<x<2-1<x<2 can be shown by considering the following three cases:
- For 1<x<0-1<x<0, we have
1(1+x)3=1(1+x)(1+2x+x2)>1(1+x)(1+x2) \frac{1}{(1+x)^{3}}=\frac{1}{(1+x)\left(1+2 x+x^{2}\right)}>\frac{1}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)}
Thus we get
f(x)>2x(3x2)(1+x2)3+2(1+x)(1+x2)=2x(3x2)(1+x)+2(1+x2)2(1+x)(1+x2)3==(6x+6x22x32x4)+(2+4x2+2x4)(1+x)(1+x2)3=2+6x+10x22x3(1+x)(1+x2)3==12(2+3x)2+112x22x3(1+x)(1+x2)3>0 \begin{aligned} & f^{\prime \prime}(x)> \frac{2 x\left(3-x^{2}\right)}{\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}+\frac{2}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)}=\frac{2 x\left(3-x^{2}\right)(1+x)+2\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{2}}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}= \\ &= \frac{\left(6 x+6 x^{2}-2 x^{3}-2 x^{4}\right)+\left(2+4 x^{2}+2 x^{4}\right)}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}=\frac{2+6 x+10 x^{2}-2 x^{3}}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}= \\ &=\frac{\frac{1}{2}(2+3 x)^{2}+\frac{11}{2} x^{2}-2 x^{3}}{(1+x)\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}>0 \end{aligned}
- For 0x30 \leqslant x \leqslant \sqrt{3}, the assertion is obvious.
- For 3<x<2\sqrt{3}<x<2, the assertion follows from
2(1+x)3>227,2x(3x2)(1+x2)3=2x(x23)(1+x2)3>22(223)(1+32)3=116>227 \frac{2}{(1+x)^{3}}>\frac{2}{27}, \quad \frac{2 x\left(3-x^{2}\right)}{\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}=-\frac{2 x\left(x^{2}-3\right)}{\left(1+x^{2}\right)^{3}}>-\frac{2 \cdot 2\left(2^{2}-3\right)}{\left(1+\sqrt{3}^{2}\right)^{3}}=-\frac{1}{16}>-\frac{2}{27}
- Hence ff^{\prime} is strictly increasing for 1<x2-1<x \leqslant 2.
Since xˉ=1nj=1nxj=1\bar{x}=\frac{1}{n} \sum_{j=1}^{n} x_{j}=1, we know that xj1x_{j} \leqslant 1 for some jj. Therefore λ<0\lambda<0. This means xj2x_{j} \leqslant 2 for every j=1,,nj=1, \ldots, n. From the monotonicity of ff^{\prime} in the domain 1<x2-1<x \leqslant 2, we now conclude x1==xnx_{1}=\ldots=x_{n}. In view of the condition x1++xn=nx_{1}+\ldots+x_{n}=n this means x1==xn=1x_{1}=\ldots=x_{n}=1. Since f(1)=0f(1)=0, we are done.

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