Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Turkey

Find the greatest real number MM satisfying
a3+b3+c33abcM(ab2+bc2+ca23abc) a^3 + b^3 + c^3 - 3abc \geq M(ab^2 + bc^2 + ca^2 - 3abc)
for all positive real numbers a,b,ca, b, c.

Solution

Since the inequality is cyclic, w.l.o.g. let min{a,b,c}=c\min\{a, b, c\} = c. Then a=c+xa = c + x, b=c+yb = c + y for some nonnegative xx and yy. After substitution a=c+xa = c + x and b=c+yb = c + y we get
a3+b3+c33abc=(c+x)3+(c+y)3+c33(c+x)(c+y)c=(3c+x+y)(x2xy+y2)ab2+bc2+ca23abc=(c+x)(c+y)2+(c+y)c2+c(c+x)23(c+x)(c+y)c=(x2xy+y2)c+xy2 \begin{align*} a^3 + b^3 + c^3 - 3abc &= (c + x)^3 + (c + y)^3 + c^3 - 3(c + x)(c + y)c \\ &= (3c + x + y)(x^2 - xy + y^2) \\ ab^2 + bc^2 + ca^2 - 3abc &= (c + x)(c + y)^2 + (c + y)c^2 + c(c + x)^2 - 3(c + x)(c + y)c \\ &= (x^2 - xy + y^2)c + x y^2 \end{align*}
Therefore, in order to prove ()(*) we have to show that for each c>0c > 0 and x,y0x, y \ge 0
(3M)(x2xy+y2)c+x3+y3Mxy20(1) (3 - M)(x^2 - xy + y^2)c + x^3 + y^3 - M x y^2 \ge 0 \quad (1)
For x=1x = 1, y=23y = \sqrt[3]{2} and any c>0c > 0
(3M)(123+43)c+343M0(2) (3 - M)(1 - \sqrt[3]{2} + \sqrt[3]{4})c + 3 - \sqrt[3]{4}M \ge 0 \quad (2)
Now let us show that 343M3 \ge \sqrt[3]{4}M. Suppose that 3<43M3 < \sqrt[3]{4}M. If 3M03 - M \le 0 then (1) is not held for any c>0c > 0. If 3M>03 - M > 0 then for
c<43M3(3M)(123+43) c < \frac{\sqrt[3]{4}M - 3}{(3 - M)(1 - \sqrt[3]{2} + \sqrt[3]{4})}
(2) is not held. Thus, 343M03 - \sqrt[3]{4}M \ge 0. Now let us show that for M=343M = \frac{3}{\sqrt[3]{4}} the inequality (1) holds. Since M<3M < 3, (3M)(x2xy+y2)c0(3 - M)(x^2 - xy + y^2)c \ge 0 and the required result will follow from x3+y3Mxy2x^3 + y^3 \ge M x y^2 which in turn is a consequence of AM-GM inequality:
x3+y3=x3+y32+y32343xy2=Mxy2 x^3 + y^3 = x^3 + \frac{y^3}{2} + \frac{y^3}{2} \ge \frac{3}{\sqrt[3]{4}} x y^2 = M x y^2
Thus, the greatest MM is 343\frac{3}{\sqrt[3]{4}}.

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