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Algebra Difficulty 7.6 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Bulgaria

Show that, for all positive real numbers aa, bb, cc, and dd the following inequality holds:
cyca4a3+a2b+ab2+b3a+b+c+d4. \sum_{cyc} \frac{a^4}{a^3 + a^2 b + ab^2 + b^3} \ge \frac{a+b+c+d}{4}.

Solution

We have
cyca4a3+a2b+ab2+b3cycb4a3+a2b+ab2+b3=cyca4b4a3+a2b+ab2+b3=cyc(ab)=0 \begin{aligned} \sum_{cyc} \frac{a^4}{a^3 + a^2 b + ab^2 + b^3} - \sum_{cyc} \frac{b^4}{a^3 + a^2 b + ab^2 + b^3} &= \sum_{cyc} \frac{a^4 - b^4}{a^3 + a^2 b + ab^2 + b^3} \\ &= \sum_{cyc} (a - b) = 0 \end{aligned}
cyca4+b4a3+a2b+ab2+b3a+b+c+d2. \sum_{cyc} \frac{a^4 + b^4}{a^3 + a^2 b + ab^2 + b^3} \ge \frac{a + b + c + d}{2}.
This, however, follows from
a4+b4a3+a2b+ab2+b3a+b44(a4+b4)(a+b)(a3+a2b+ab2+b3). \frac{a^4 + b^4}{a^3 + a^2b + ab^2 + b^3} \ge \frac{a+b}{4} \Leftrightarrow 4(a^4 + b^4) \ge (a+b)(a^3 + a^2b + ab^2 + b^3).
a4a3+a2b+ab2+b358a38b3(a4+b4)2(a3b+a2b2+ab3), \frac{a^4}{a^3 + a^2b + ab^2 + b^3} \ge \frac{5}{8}a - \frac{3}{8}b \Leftrightarrow 3(a^4 + b^4) \ge 2(a^3b + a^2b^2 + ab^3),
which is obviously true. Therefore,

\sum_{cyc} \frac{a^4}{a^3 + a^2b + ab^2 + b^3} \ge \sum_{cyc} \frac{5}{8}a - \frac{3}{8}b = \frac{a+b+c+d}{4}.

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