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Algebra Difficulty 7.7 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Asia Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO)

Let a1,a2,a3,…,ana_{1}, a_{2}, a_{3}, \ldots, a_{n} be a sequence of non-negative integers, where nn is a positive integer. Let
An=a1+a2+⋯+ann A_{n} = \frac{a_{1} + a_{2} + \cdots + a_{n}}{n}
Prove that
a1!a2!…an!≥(⌊An⌋!)n a_{1}! a_{2}! \ldots a_{n}! \geq \left( \left\lfloor A_{n} \right\rfloor ! \right)^{n}
where ⌊An⌋\left\lfloor A_{n} \right\rfloor is the greatest integer less than or equal to AnA_{n}, and a!=1×2×⋯×aa! = 1 \times 2 \times \cdots \times a for a≥1a \geq 1 (and 0!=10! = 1). When does equality hold?

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Assume without loss of generality that a1≥a2≥⋯≥an≥0a_{1} \geq a_{2} \geq \cdots \geq a_{n} \geq 0, and let s=⌊An⌋s = \left\lfloor A_{n} \right\rfloor. Let kk be any (fixed) index for which ak≥s≥ak+1a_{k} \geq s \geq a_{k+1}.
Our inequality is equivalent to proving that
a1!s!⋅a2!s!⋅…⋅ak!s!≥s!ak+1!⋅s!ak+2!⋅…⋅s!an!. \begin{equation*} \frac{a_{1}!}{s!} \cdot \frac{a_{2}!}{s!} \cdot \ldots \cdot \frac{a_{k}!}{s!} \geq \frac{s!}{a_{k+1}!} \cdot \frac{s!}{a_{k+2}!} \cdot \ldots \cdot \frac{s!}{a_{n}!} . \tag{1} \end{equation*}
Now for i=1,2,…,ki = 1, 2, \ldots, k, ai!/s!a_{i}! / s! is the product of ai−sa_{i} - s factors. For example, 9!/5!=9⋅8⋅7⋅69! / 5! = 9 \cdot 8 \cdot 7 \cdot 6. The left side of inequality (1) therefore is the product of A=a1+a2+⋯+ak−ksA = a_{1} + a_{2} + \cdots + a_{k} - k s factors, all of which are greater than ss. Similarly, the right side of (1) is the product of B=(n−k)s−(ak+1+ak+2+⋯+an)B = (n - k) s - (a_{k+1} + a_{k+2} + \cdots + a_{n}) factors, all of which are at most ss. Since ∑i=1nai=nAn≥ns\sum_{i=1}^{n} a_{i} = n A_{n} \geq n s, A≥BA \geq B. This proves the inequality.

Equality in (1) holds if and only if either:
(i) A=B=0A = B = 0, that is, both sides of (1) are the empty product, which occurs if and only if a1=a2=⋯=ana_{1} = a_{2} = \cdots = a_{n}; or
(ii) a1=1a_{1} = 1 and s=0s = 0, that is, the only factors on either side of (1) are 11's, which occurs if and only if ai∈{0,1}a_{i} \in \{0, 1\} for all ii.

Solution 2

Assume without loss of generality that 0≤a1≤a2≤⋯≤an0 \leq a_{1} \leq a_{2} \leq \cdots \leq a_{n}. Let d=an−a1d = a_{n} - a_{1} and m=∣{i:ai=a1}∣m = \left| \{ i : a_{i} = a_{1} \} \right|. Our proof is by induction on dd.

We first do the case d=an−a1=0d = a_{n} - a_{1} = 0 or 11 separately. Then a1=a2=⋯=am=aa_{1} = a_{2} = \cdots = a_{m} = a and am+1=⋯=an=a+1a_{m+1} = \cdots = a_{n} = a + 1 for some 1≤m≤n1 \leq m \leq n and a≥0a \geq 0. In this case we have ⌊An⌋=a\left\lfloor A_{n} \right\rfloor = a, so the inequality to be proven is just a1!a2!…an!≥(a!)na_{1}! a_{2}! \ldots a_{n}! \geq (a!)^{n}, which is obvious. Equality holds if and only if either m=nm = n, that is, a1=a2=⋯=an=aa_{1} = a_{2} = \cdots = a_{n} = a; or if a=0a = 0, that is, a1=⋯=am=0a_{1} = \cdots = a_{m} = 0 and am+1=⋯=an=1a_{m+1} = \cdots = a_{n} = 1.

So assume that d=an−a1≥2d = a_{n} - a_{1} \geq 2 and that the inequality holds for all sequences with smaller values of dd, or with the same value of dd and smaller values of mm. Then the sequence
a1+1,a2,a3,…,an−1,an−1, a_{1} + 1, a_{2}, a_{3}, \ldots, a_{n-1}, a_{n} - 1,
though not necessarily in non-decreasing order any more, does have either a smaller value of dd, or the same value of dd and a smaller value of mm, but in any case has the same value of AnA_{n}. Thus, by induction and since an>a1+1a_{n} > a_{1} + 1,
a1!a2!…an!=(a1+1)!a2!…an−1!(an−1)!⋅ana1+1≥(⌊An⌋!)n⋅ana1+1>(⌊An⌋!)n \begin{aligned} a_{1}! a_{2}! \ldots a_{n}! & = (a_{1} + 1)! a_{2}! \ldots a_{n-1}! (a_{n} - 1)! \cdot \frac{a_{n}}{a_{1} + 1} \\ & \geq \left( \left\lfloor A_{n} \right\rfloor ! \right)^{n} \cdot \frac{a_{n}}{a_{1} + 1} \\ & > \left( \left\lfloor A_{n} \right\rfloor ! \right)^{n} \end{aligned}
which completes the proof. Equality cannot hold in this case.

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