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Algebra Difficulty 4.7 AIME Prove it Bulgaria

Problem:

The sequences (an)n=1\left(a_{n}\right)_{n=1}^{\infty} and (bn)n=1\left(b_{n}\right)_{n=1}^{\infty} are such that an+1=2bnana_{n+1}=2 b_{n}-a_{n} and bn+1=2anbnb_{n+1}=2 a_{n}-b_{n} for every nn. Prove that:

a) an+1=2(a1+b1)3ana_{n+1}=2\left(a_{1}+b_{1}\right)-3 a_{n};

b) if an>0a_{n}>0 for every nn, then a1=b1a_{1}=b_{1}.

Solution

Solution:

a) Since an+1+bn+1=2bnan+2anbn=an+bna_{n+1}+b_{n+1}=2 b_{n}-a_{n}+2 a_{n}-b_{n}=a_{n}+b_{n}, we have
an+1=2(an+bn)3an=2(a1+b1)3an a_{n+1}=2\left(a_{n}+b_{n}\right)-3 a_{n}=2\left(a_{1}+b_{1}\right)-3 a_{n}

b) Using a), we obtain
an+1a1+b12=3(ana1+b12) a_{n+1}-\frac{a_{1}+b_{1}}{2}=-3\left(a_{n}-\frac{a_{1}+b_{1}}{2}\right)
whence
an+1a1+b12=(3)n(a1a1+b12) a_{n+1}-\frac{a_{1}+b_{1}}{2}=(-3)^{n}\left(a_{1}-\frac{a_{1}+b_{1}}{2}\right)
Since limn3n=+\lim _{n \rightarrow \infty} 3^{n}=+\infty, it follows that if a1>b1a_{1}>b_{1}, then limna2n=\lim _{n \rightarrow \infty} a_{2 n}=-\infty, a contradiction. Analogously, we see that it is not possible to have a1<b1a_{1}<b_{1}. Therefore a1=b1a_{1}=b_{1}.

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