Let a,b,c,d be nonnegative real numbers not exceeding 1. Prove that 1+a+b1+1+b+c1+1+c+d1+1+d+a1≤1+24abcd4.
Solution
Notice that when ac≤x, we have x+a1+x+c1−x+ac2=(x+a)(x+c)(x+ac)(a−c)2(ac−x)≤0.(∗) Given the conditions, ac≤1≤1+b, and ac≤1+d. Substituting x=1+b and x=1+c into (∗) yields 1+a+b1+1+b+c1≤1+b+ac2, 1+c+d1+1+d+a1≤1+d+ac2. This means that when substituting ac for a and c, the left side of the inequality does not decrease, while the right side remains unchanged. Thus, we may assume without loss of generality that a=c. Similarly, we may assume b=d. Hence, the original inequality is reduced to proving 1+a+b1≤1+2ab1. This holds true by the arithmetic mean-geometric mean inequality, which states a+b≥2ab. □
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