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Algebra Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it Hong Kong

Prove that for every positive integer nn and every group of real numbers a1,a2,,an>0a_1, a_2, \dots, a_n > 0,
k=1nka11+a21++ak12k=1nak. \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{k}{a_{1}^{-1} + a_{2}^{-1} + \dots + a_{k}^{-1}} \le 2 \sum_{k=1}^{n} a_{k}.
Can “2” immediately to the right of the inequality be replaced by a smaller positive number?

Solution

By the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, we have
(12a1+22a2++k2ak)(a11+a21++ak1)(1+2++k)2=k2(k+1)24. (1^2 a_1 + 2^2 a_2 + \dots + k^2 a_k)(a_1^{-1} + a_2^{-1} + \dots + a_k^{-1}) \ge (1 + 2 + \dots + k)^2 = \frac{k^2 (k+1)^2}{4}.
This implies
ka11+a21++ak14k(k+1)2j=1kj2aj. \frac{k}{a_1^{-1} + a_2^{-1} + \dots + a_k^{-1}} \le \frac{4}{k(k+1)^2} \sum_{j=1}^{k} j^2 a_j.

Also, using 1k21(k+1)2=2k+1k2(k+1)22k(k+1)2\frac{1}{k^2} - \frac{1}{(k+1)^2} = \frac{2k+1}{k^2(k+1)^2} \ge \frac{2}{k(k+1)^2}, we obtain
k=1nka11+a21++ak1k=1nj=1kj2aj4k(k+1)22k=1nj=1kj2aj(1k21(k+1)2)=2j=1nk=jnj2aj(1k21(k+1)2)=2j=1nj2aj(1j21(n+1)2)<2j=1naj. \begin{align*} \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{k}{a_1^{-1} + a_2^{-1} + \cdots + a_k^{-1}} &\le \sum_{k=1}^{n} \sum_{j=1}^{k} j^2 a_j \frac{4}{k(k+1)^2} \\ &\le 2 \sum_{k=1}^{n} \sum_{j=1}^{k} j^2 a_j \left( \frac{1}{k^2} - \frac{1}{(k+1)^2} \right) \\ &= 2 \sum_{j=1}^{n} \sum_{k=j}^{n} j^2 a_j \left( \frac{1}{k^2} - \frac{1}{(k+1)^2} \right) \\ &= 2 \sum_{j=1}^{n} j^2 a_j \left( \frac{1}{j^2} - \frac{1}{(n+1)^2} \right) \\ &< 2 \sum_{j=1}^{n} a_j. \end{align*}
This proves the desired inequality.

Consider aj=1ja_j = \frac{1}{j} for each jj. Then
k=1nka11+a21++ak1=k=1nk1+2++k=k=1n2k+1 \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{k}{a_1^{-1} + a_2^{-1} + \cdots + a_k^{-1}} = \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{k}{1 + 2 + \cdots + k} = \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{2}{k + 1}
and k=1nak=k=1n1k\sum_{k=1}^{n} a_k = \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{1}{k}. For any cc such that 0<c<20 < c < 2, we have
ck=1nakk=1nka11+a21++ak1=c+(c2)k=2n1k2n+1<0 c \sum_{k=1}^{n} a_k - \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{k}{a_1^{-1} + a_2^{-1} + \cdots + a_k^{-1}} = c + (c-2) \sum_{k=2}^{n} \frac{1}{k} - \frac{2}{n+1} < 0
for sufficiently large nn, since the harmonic series k=21k\sum_{k=2}^{\infty} \frac{1}{k} diverges to positive infinity. This shows we cannot replace the number 2 by any smaller constant cc.

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