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Algebra Difficulty 9.0 IMO level Prove it IMO

Decide whether for every sequence (an)\left(a_{n}\right) of positive real numbers,
3a1+3a2++3an(2a1+2a2++2an)2<12024 \frac{3^{a_{1}}+3^{a_{2}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+2^{a_{2}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}}<\frac{1}{2024}
is true for at least one positive integer nn.

Solution

Solution 1. For every positive integer nn, let Mn=max(a1,a2,,an)M_{n}=\max \left(a_{1}, a_{2}, \ldots, a_{n}\right). We first prove that
3a1+3a2++3an(2a1+2a2++2an)2(34)Mn \frac{3^{a_{1}}+3^{a_{2}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+2^{a_{2}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^{M_{n}}
For i=1,2,,ni=1,2, \ldots, n, from (32)ai(32)Mn\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{a_{i}} \leqslant\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{M_{n}} we can obtain 3ai(34)Mn2Mn2ai3^{a_{i}} \leqslant\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^{M_{n}} \cdot 2^{M_{n}} \cdot 2^{a_{i}}. By summing up over all ii,
i=1n3ai(34)Mn2Mni=1n2ai(34)Mn(i=1n2ai)2 \sum_{i=1}^{n} 3^{a_{i}} \leqslant\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^{M_{n}} \cdot 2^{M_{n}} \cdot \sum_{i=1}^{n} 2^{a_{i}} \leqslant\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^{M_{n}} \cdot\left(\sum_{i=1}^{n} 2^{a_{i}}\right)^{2}
which is equivalent to the previous inequality.
Now let μ=log4/31ε\mu=\log _{4 / 3} \frac{1}{\varepsilon}, so that μ\mu is the positive real number with (34)μ=ε\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^{\mu}=\varepsilon. If there is an index nn such that an>μa_{n}>\mu, then Mnan>μM_{n} \geqslant a_{n}>\mu, and hence
3a1+3a2++3an(2a1+2a2++2an)2(34)Mn<(34)μ=ε. \frac{3^{a_{1}}+3^{a_{2}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+2^{a_{2}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^{M_{n}}<\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^{\mu}=\varepsilon .
Otherwise we have 0<aiμ0<a_{i} \leqslant \mu for all positive integers ii, so
3a1+3a2++3an(2a1+2a2++2an)2n3μ(n1)2=3μn \frac{3^{a_{1}}+3^{a_{2}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+2^{a_{2}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant \frac{n \cdot 3^{\mu}}{(n \cdot 1)^{2}}=\frac{3^{\mu}}{n}
If n>3μεn>\left\lfloor\frac{3^{\mu}}{\varepsilon}\right\rfloor, this is less than ε\varepsilon.

Solution 2. We will combine two upper bounds.
First, start with the trivial estimate
3a1++3an(2a1++2an)23a1++3an4a1++4an \frac{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant \frac{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{4^{a_{1}}+\cdots+4^{a_{n}}}
By applying Jensen's inequality to the convex function xlog34x^{\log _{3} 4} we get
4a1++4ann=(3a1)log34++(3an)log34n(3a1++3ann)log34 \frac{4^{a_{1}}+\cdots+4^{a_{n}}}{n}=\frac{\left(3^{a_{1}}\right)^{\log _{3} 4}+\cdots+\left(3^{a_{n}}\right)^{\log _{3} 4}}{n} \geqslant\left(\frac{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{n}\right)^{\log _{3} 4}
so
3a1++3an(2a1++2an)23a1++3an4a1++4an(n3a1++3an)log341 \frac{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant \frac{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{4^{a_{1}}+\cdots+4^{a_{n}}} \leqslant\left(\frac{n}{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}\right)^{\log _{3} 4-1}
Hence, the original inequality holds true whenever
3a1++3an>(1ε)1log341n 3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}>\left(\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\right)^{\frac{1}{\log _{3} 4-1}} \cdot n
Second, trivially
3a1++3an(2a1++2an)23a1++3ann2 \frac{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant \frac{3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{n^{2}}
so the original inequality is satisfied if
3a1++3an<εn2 3^{a_{1}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}<\varepsilon \cdot n^{2}
If n>(1ε)1+1log341n>\left(\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\right)^{1+\frac{1}{\log _{3} 4-1}} then (1ε)1log341n<εn2\left(\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\right)^{\frac{1}{\log _{3} 4-1}} \cdot n<\varepsilon \cdot n^{2}, and therefore at least one of the two conditions is satisfied.

Solution 3. Define C=log4/32εC=\log _{4 / 3} \frac{2}{\varepsilon}, so that if ai>Ca_{i}>C then 3ai<ε24ai3^{a_{i}}<\frac{\varepsilon}{2} \cdot 4^{a_{i}}. We divide the sequence into "small" and "large" terms by how they compare to CC : let
Sn={inaiC} and Ln={inai>C} \mathcal{S}_{n}=\left\{i \leqslant n \mid a_{i} \leqslant C\right\} \quad \text{ and } \quad \mathcal{L}_{n}=\left\{i \leqslant n \mid a_{i}>C\right\}
Then the original inequality is equivalent to
iSn3ai(iSn2ai+iLn2ai)2+iLn3ai(iSn2ai+iLn2ai)2<ε2+ε2 \frac{\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 3^{a_{i}}}{\left(\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}+\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}\right)^{2}}+\frac{\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 3^{a_{i}}}{\left(\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}+\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}\right)^{2}}<\frac{\varepsilon}{2}+\frac{\varepsilon}{2}
If Ln\mathcal{L}_{n} is nonempty, we have
iLn3ai(iSn2ai+iLn2ai)2<ε2iLn4ai(iLn2ai)2ε2 \frac{\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 3^{a_{i}}}{\left(\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}+\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}\right)^{2}}<\frac{\varepsilon}{2} \cdot \frac{\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 4^{a_{i}}}{\left(\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant \frac{\varepsilon}{2}
and this also trivially holds when Ln\mathcal{L}_{n} is empty (in which case the LHS is zero).
Now suppose that n2ε(32)Cn \geqslant \frac{2}{\varepsilon}\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{C}. Note that 3ai(32)C2ai3^{a_{i}} \leqslant\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{C} 2^{a_{i}} for iSni \in \mathcal{S}_{n}, so we have
iSn3ai(iSn2ai+iLn2ai)2(32)CiSn2ai(iSn2ai+iLn2ai)2(32)CiSn2ai+iLn2ai<(32)Cnε2, \frac{\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 3^{a_{i}}}{\left(\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}+\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant \frac{\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{C} \sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}}{\left(\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}+\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}\right)^{2}} \leqslant \frac{\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{C}}{\sum_{i \in \mathcal{S}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}+\sum_{i \in \mathcal{L}_{n}} 2^{a_{i}}}<\frac{\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{C}}{n} \leqslant \frac{\varepsilon}{2},
so we have the original inequality.

Solution 4. For every index i=1,2,,ni=1,2, \ldots, n, apply the weighted AM-GM inequality to numbers 2ai2^{a_{i}} and (n1)(n-1) with weights log2320.585\log _{2} \frac{3}{2} \approx 0.585 and log2430.415\log _{2} \frac{4}{3} \approx 0.415 as
2a1+2a2++2an2ai+(n1)>log2322ai+log243(n1)(2ai)log232(n1)log243=(32)ai(n1)log243>(32)ai(n1)2/5. \begin{gathered} 2^{a_{1}}+2^{a_{2}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}} \geqslant 2^{a_{i}}+(n-1) \\ >\log _{2} \frac{3}{2} \cdot 2^{a_{i}}+\log _{2} \frac{4}{3} \cdot(n-1) \geqslant\left(2^{a_{i}}\right)^{\log _{2} \frac{3}{2}} \cdot(n-1)^{\log _{2} \frac{4}{3}} \\ =\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{a_{i}} \cdot(n-1)^{\log _{2} \frac{4}{3}}>\left(\frac{3}{2}\right)^{a_{i}} \cdot(n-1)^{2 / 5} . \end{gathered}
By summing up for i=1,2,,ni=1,2, \ldots, n,
(2a1++2an)2=i=1n2ai(2a1+2a2++2an)>(n1)2/5i=1n3ai \left(2^{a_{1}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}=\sum_{i=1}^{n} 2^{a_{i}}\left(2^{a_{1}}+2^{a_{2}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)>(n-1)^{2 / 5} \sum_{i=1}^{n} 3^{a_{i}}
so
3a1+3a2++3an(2a1+2a2++2an)2<1(n1)2/5 \frac{3^{a_{1}}+3^{a_{2}}+\cdots+3^{a_{n}}}{\left(2^{a_{1}}+2^{a_{2}}+\cdots+2^{a_{n}}\right)^{2}}<\frac{1}{(n-1)^{2 / 5}}
If n(1ε)5/2+1n \geqslant\left(\frac{1}{\varepsilon}\right)^{5 / 2}+1 then 1(n1)2/5<ε\frac{1}{(n-1)^{2 / 5}}<\varepsilon.

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