Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Prove it Ukraine

Prove the following inequality for positive a,b,ca, b, c:
a3+b3+c3abc+69a2+b2+c2ab+bc+ca. \frac{a^3 + b^3 + c^3}{abc} + 6 \ge 9 \cdot \frac{a^2 + b^2 + c^2}{ab + bc + ca}.

Solution

Subtract 99 from both sides and use the well-known identity
a3+b3+c33abc=(a+b+c)(a2+b2+c2abbcca). a^3 + b^3 + c^3 - 3abc = (a+b+c)(a^2+b^2+c^2-ab-bc-ca).

a3+b3+c3abc39a2+b2+c2ab+bc+ca9(a+b+c)(a2+b2+c2abbcca)+3abcabc39a2+b2+c2ab+bc+ca9 \frac{a^3 + b^3 + c^3}{abc} - 3 \ge 9 \cdot \frac{a^2 + b^2 + c^2}{ab + bc + ca} - 9 \Leftrightarrow \\ \frac{(a+b+c)(a^2+b^2+c^2-ab-bc-ca)+3abc}{abc} - 3 \ge 9 \cdot \frac{a^2+b^2+c^2}{ab+bc+ca} - 9 \Leftrightarrow

(a+b+c)(a2+b2+c2abbcca)+3abc3abcabc9(a2+b2+c2abbcca)ab+bc+ca    (a+b+c)(a2+b2+c2abbcca)abc9(a2+b2+c2abbcca)ab+bc+ca    (a2+b2+c2abbcca)((a+b+c)(ab+bc+ca)9abc)abc(ab+bc+ca)0. \begin{aligned} \frac{(a+b+c)(a^2+b^2+c^2-ab-bc-ca)+3abc-3abc}{abc} &\ge \frac{9(a^2+b^2+c^2-ab-bc-ca)}{ab+bc+ca} \\ &\iff \\ \frac{(a+b+c)(a^2+b^2+c^2-ab-bc-ca)}{abc} &\ge \frac{9(a^2+b^2+c^2-ab-bc-ca)}{ab+bc+ca} \\ &\iff \\ \frac{(a^2+b^2+c^2-ab-bc-ca)((a+b+c)(ab+bc+ca)-9abc)}{abc(ab+bc+ca)} &\ge 0. \end{aligned}

The last inequality holds, since
a2+b2+c2abbcca0and(a+b+c)(ab+bc+ca)9abc0. a^2 + b^2 + c^2 - ab - bc - ca \ge 0 \quad \text{and} \quad (a+b+c)(ab+bc+ca) - 9abc \ge 0.
By the inequality with the sum of three squares:
(ab)2+(bc)2+(ca)20    a2+b2+c2ab+bc+ca(a+b+c)23(ab+bc+ca)(a+b+c)633(ab+bc+ca)32727(abc)2(a+b+c)327abc. \begin{aligned} (a-b)^2 + (b-c)^2 + (c-a)^2 \ge 0 &\iff a^2 + b^2 + c^2 \ge ab + bc + ca \\ (a+b+c)^2 \ge 3(ab+bc+ca) &\Rightarrow (a+b+c)^6 \ge 3^3(ab+bc+ca)^3 \ge 27 \cdot 27(abc)^2 \\ (a+b+c)^3 &\ge 27abc. \end{aligned}
Moreover, (13(x+y+z))3xyz(ab+bc+ca)327a2b2c2. \text{Moreover, } \left(\frac{1}{3}(x+y+z)\right)^3 \ge xyz \Rightarrow (ab+bc+ca)^3 \ge 27a^2b^2c^2.
Hence (a+b+c)3(ab+bc+ca)3(9abc)3. \text{Hence } (a+b+c)^3(ab+bc+ca)^3 \ge (9abc)^3.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.