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Algebra Difficulty 5.1 AIME, harder Prove it Belarus

For all positive integers nn and mm prove the inequality
nn2+1m21. |n\sqrt{n^2+1} - m| \ge \sqrt{2} - 1.

Solution

Let M(n,m)=nn2+1mM(n, m) = |n\sqrt{n^2+1} - m|. Using an obvious chain of inequalities
n2<nn2+1<n2+12, n^2 < n\sqrt{n^2+1} < n^2 + \frac{1}{2},
we obtain
n2m<nn2+1m<n2m+12. n^2 - m < n\sqrt{n^2+1} - m < n^2 - m + \frac{1}{2}.
Therefore, if mn2m \neq n^2 then M(n,m)>1/2M(n, m) > 1/2. Since 1/2>211/2 > \sqrt{2}-1, the required inequality is proved for all mn2m \neq n^2.

Let m=n2m = n^2. Consider the function f(n)=M(n,n2)=nn2+1n2f(n) = M(n, n^2) = n\sqrt{n^2+1} - n^2. We will show that it increases at n>0n > 0. Indeed, for all a>b>0a > b > 0 the difference f(a)f(b)f(a) - f(b) can be transformed:
(aa2+1a2)(bb2+1b2)=(aa2+1bb2+1)(a2b2)==a2(a2+1)b2(b2+1)aa2+1+bb2+1(a2b2)=(a2b2)(a2+b2+1aa2+1+bb2+11).(1) \begin{aligned} & (a\sqrt{a^2+1} - a^2) - (b\sqrt{b^2+1} - b^2) = (a\sqrt{a^2+1} - b\sqrt{b^2+1}) - (a^2 - b^2) = \\ & = \frac{a^2(a^2+1) - b^2(b^2+1)}{a\sqrt{a^2+1} + b\sqrt{b^2+1}} - (a^2 - b^2) = (a^2 - b^2)\left(\frac{a^2 + b^2 + 1}{a\sqrt{a^2+1} + b\sqrt{b^2+1}} - 1\right). \end{aligned} \quad (1)
As mentioned above, a2+12>aa2+1a^2 + \frac{1}{2} > a\sqrt{a^2+1} and b2+12>bb2+1b^2 + \frac{1}{2} > b\sqrt{b^2+1}. Summing these inequalities and substituting to (1) we obtain that f(a)f(b)>0f(a) - f(b) > 0.
Therefore, the minimum of the function f(n)f(n) is achieved at n=1n = 1 and equals 21\sqrt{2}-1.

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