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Algebra Difficulty 4.9 AIME Prove it Greece

The positive real numbers x,y,zx, y, z are such that x+y+z=4x + y + z = 4 and

x,y,z[0,2]x, y, z \in [0,2]. Find the minimal value of the algebraic expression:
A=2+x+2+y+2+z+x+y+y+z+z+x. A = \sqrt{2+x} + \sqrt{2+y} + \sqrt{2+z} + \sqrt{x+y} + \sqrt{y+z} + \sqrt{z+x}.

Solution

We will prove first that 2+x+y+z=2+x+4x2+2\sqrt{2+x} + \sqrt{y+z} = \sqrt{2+x} + \sqrt{4-x} \ge 2 + \sqrt{2}.
Indeed, this is equivalent to
2+x+4x+(2+x)(4x)4+2+22x(2x)0, 2 + x + 4 - x + \sqrt{(2 + x)(4 - x)} \ge 4 + 2 + 2\sqrt{2} \Leftrightarrow \\ x(2 - x) \ge 0,
which is true, since x[0,2]x \in [0,2].
Similarly we have 2+y+x+z2+2\sqrt{2+y} + \sqrt{x+z} \ge 2 + \sqrt{2} and 2+z+x+y2+2\sqrt{2+z} + \sqrt{x+y} \ge 2 + \sqrt{2}.
Adding all these, we get A6+32A \ge 6 + 3\sqrt{2} and the equality holds, for example, if x=y=2x = y = 2 and z=0z = 0.

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