AlgebraDifficulty 5.5AIME, harderProve itUnited States
Problem: Which number is larger, A or B, where A=20151(1+21+31+⋯+20151)andB=20161(1+21+31+⋯+20161)? Prove that your answer is correct.
Solution
Solution: We claim that: A=20151(1+21+31+⋯+20151)>B=20161(1+21+31+⋯+20161). To prove this, let S=1+21+31+⋯+20151. Then A=20151S and B=20161(S+20161). Thus, our proposed inequality can be written as: 20151S>?20161(S+20161) After multiplying both sides by 2015⋅2016 to clear some of the denominators, the proposed inequality becomes equivalent to: 2016S>?2015S+20162015 which, after subtracting 2015S from both sides, is equivalent in turn to: S>?20162015 But S>1, so it follows that S>20162015, establishing the last inequality and thereby proving all of the previous inequalities. In particular, the proposed original inequality is correct: A=20151(1+21+31+⋯+20151)>B=20161(1+21+31+⋯+20161).
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