Determine the positive real numbers a,b,c,d such that a+b+c+d=80 and a+1+ab+1+a+bc+1+a+b+cd=8.
Solution
Adding 4 to both sides of the second equation, we write: 1+a+1+a1+a+b+1+a+b1+a+b+c+1+a+b+c1+a+b+c+d=12. Applying the AM-GM inequality successively, we obtain: 1+a+1+a1+a+b1+a+b1+a+b+c+1+a+b+c1+a+b+c+d≥2(1+a)⋅1+a1+a+b=21+a+b;≥21+a+b1+a+b+c⋅1+a+b+c1+a+b+c+d=≥21+a+b81. By adding these two inequalities and applying the AM-GM inequality again, we have: 12=1+a+1+a1+a+b+1+a+b1+a+b+c+1+a+b+c1+a+b+c+d≥21+a+b+1+a+b18≥12.
From this, we obtain a+b=8 and 1+a=1+a1+a+b=1+a+b1+a+b+c=1+a+b+c1+a+b+c+d=3. Therefore, the desired numbers are a=2, b=6, c=18, d=54.
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