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Algebra Difficulty 4.6 AIME Prove it Ireland

Suppose *a*, *b*, *c* are positive real numbers. Prove that
abc(a+b+c)a4+b4+c4, abc(a + b + c) \le a^4 + b^4 + c^4,
with equality iff a=b=ca = b = c.

Solution

By the Arithmetic mean-Geometric mean inequality
3a4b4c43a4+b4+c4, 3\sqrt[3]{a^4b^4c^4} \le a^4 + b^4 + c^4,
with equality iff a=b=ca = b = c. Thus
33/4abc(a4+b4+c4)3/4, 3^{3/4}abc \le (a^4 + b^4 + c^4)^{3/4},
with equality iff a=b=ca = b = c. Also, two applications of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality tell us that
(a+b+c)4(3(a2+b2+c2))227(a4+b4+c4), (a+b+c)^4 \le (3(a^2+b^2+c^2))^2 \le 27(a^4+b^4+c^4),
again with equality iff a=b=ca = b = c, i.e.,
a+b+c33/4(a4+b4+c4)1/4, a+b+c \le 3^{3/4}(a^4+b^4+c^4)^{1/4},
with equality iff a=b=ca = b = c. Combining these results we see that
33/4abc(a+b+c)(a4+b4+c4)3/433/4(a4+b4+c4)1/4=33/4(a4+b4+c4). 3^{3/4}abc(a+b+c) \le (a^4+b^4+c^4)^{3/4}3^{3/4}(a^4+b^4+c^4)^{1/4} = 3^{3/4}(a^4+b^4+c^4).
with equality iff a=b=ca = b = c. This is the desired result.

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