Given positive real numbers a, b, c, with ab+bc+ca≥a+b+c, prove that
(a+b+c)(ab+bc+ca)+3abc≥4(ab+bc+ca).
(I. Gorodnin)
Solution
By the Cauchy-Buniakowski inequality, (a2+b2+c2)((a(b+c))2+(b(c+a))2+(c(a+b))2)≥(a(b+c)+b(c+a)+c(a+b))2=4(ab+bc+ca)2. Hence, (a+b+c)(a(b+c)2+b(c+a)2+c(a+b)2)≥4(ab+bc+ca)2≥4(ab+bc+ca)(a+b+c)⇔(a(b+c)2+b(c+a)2+c(a+b)2)≥4(ab+bc+ca). It remains to note that a(b+c)2+b(c+a)2+c(a+b)2=(a+b+c)(ab+bc+ca)+3abc, which gives the required inequality.
Alternative solution:
Let σ1=a+b+c, σ2=ab+bc+ca, σ3=abc. By the problem condition, σ2≥σ1. Since σ12≥3σ2 (well-known inequality), we have σ12≥3σ2≥3σ1, i.e. σ1≥3. Now we use Schur's inequality σ13+9σ3≥4σ1σ2. We have σ12σ2≥σ13 and 3σ1σ3≥9σ3, hence σ12σ2+3σ1σ3≥4σ1σ2 and then σ1σ2+3σ3≥4σ2, as required.
Alternative solution:
Since ab+bc+ca≥a+b+c, it suffices to prove the inequality (a+b+c)2(ab+bc+ca)+3abc(a+b+c)≥4(ab+bc+ca)2. The last inequality can be easily transformed to a3b+b3a+a3c+c3a+b3c+c3b≥2(a2b2+b2c2+c2a2), which is true by Muirhead's theorem.
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