Let , , and be non-negative real numbers, no two of which are equal. Prove that
, 2017
Solution
The left-hand side is symmetric with respect to , , . Hence, we may assume that . Note that replacing with lowers the value of the left-hand side, since the numerators of each of the fractions would decrease and the denominators remain the same. Therefore, to obtain the minimum possible value of the left-hand side, we may assume that .
Then the left-hand side becomes
which yields, by the Arithmetic Mean - Geometric Mean Inequality,
with equality if and only if , or equivalently, . Since , . But since no two of are equal, . Hence, equality cannot hold. This yields
Ultimately, this implies the desired inequality.
Then Schur's Inequality tells us that the numerator of the right-hand side cannot be zero.
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