Let a, b, c be pairwise distinct natural numbers. Prove that 3a3+b3+c3≥abc+a+b+c. When does equality hold?
Solution
It is well-known and easily verified that a3+b3+c3−3abc=21(a+b+c)((a−b)2+(b−c)2+(c−a)2).(1) Assume without loss of generality that a>b>c≥0. Since the numbers are integers, we obtain a−b≥1, b−c≥1 and a−c≥2. Equation (1) now implies a3+b3+c3−3abc≥21(a+b+c)(1+1+4)=3(a+b+c) as desired. Equality holds for a=b+1, b=c+1 and a=c+2, which are exactly the triples (t+2,t+1,t) where t≥0 is an integer, and for all their permutations.
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