Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / Estonia — Open Contests /7 of 63

Estonia — Open Contests

Algebra Difficulty 4.7 AIME Prove it Estonia

Prove that for any integer n≥3n \ge 3 we have (2n)!<n2n(2n)! < n^{2n}.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

For n=3n = 3 the claim holds: (2n)!=6!=720(2n)! = 6! = 720 and n2n=36=729n^{2n} = 3^6 = 729.

Suppose n≥4n \ge 4. Divide the numbers 2,3,…,2n−22, 3, \dots, 2n-2 into pairs (k,2n−k)(k, 2n-k) with 2≤k≤n−12 \le k \le n-1, leaving nn alone. For each pair we have
k(2n−k)=(n−(n−k))(n+(n−k))=n2−(n−k)2<n2. k(2n-k) = (n - (n-k))(n + (n-k)) = n^2 - (n-k)^2 < n^2.
Hence 2⋅3⋅⋯⋅(2n−2)<(n2)n−2⋅n=n2n−32 \cdot 3 \cdot \dots \cdot (2n-2) < (n^2)^{n-2} \cdot n = n^{2n-3}, therefore
(2n)!<1⋅n2n−3⋅(2n−1)⋅(2n)<n2n−3⋅(2n)2=4n2n−1≤n2n. (2n)! < 1 \cdot n^{2n-3} \cdot (2n-1) \cdot (2n) < n^{2n-3} \cdot (2n)^2 = 4n^{2n-1} \le n^{2n}.

Solution 2

For n=3n=3 the claim holds. Suppose the claim holds for nn; to show that it also holds for n+1n+1 it is enough to show the inequality (2n+1)(2n+2)<(n+1)2nn2n(n+1)2(2n+1)(2n+2) < \frac{(n+1)^{2n}}{n^{2n}}(n+1)^2.

Since (2n+1)(2n+2)<(2n+2)2=4(n+1)2(2n+1)(2n+2) < (2n+2)^2 = 4(n+1)^2, it is enough to show that (n+1)2nn2n>4\frac{(n+1)^{2n}}{n^{2n}} > 4.

This is equivalent with (1+1n)n>2\left(1 + \frac{1}{n}\right)^n > 2 which holds for all n≥2n \ge 2.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,604 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.

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