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Algebra Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it Austria

Let a1,a2,,ana_1, a_2, \dots, a_n be non-negative integers such that for all real numbers x1>x2>x3>>xn>0x_1 > x_2 > x_3 > \dots > x_n > 0 with x1+x2++xn<1x_1 + x_2 + \dots + x_n < 1 it holds that k=1nakxk3<1\sum_{k=1}^n a_k x_k^3 < 1.
Show that
na1+(n1)a2++(nj+1)aj++ann2(n+1)24. na_1 + (n-1)a_2 + \dots + (n-j+1)a_j + \dots + a_n \le \frac{n^2(n+1)^2}{4}.
G. Baron, Vienna

Solution

The assertion can be rewritten as
k=1nj=1kajk=1nk3. \sum_{k=1}^{n} \sum_{j=1}^{k} a_j \le \sum_{k=1}^{n} k^3.
It therefore suffices to prove
j=1kajk3(6) \sum_{j=1}^{k} a_j \le k^3 \quad (6)
for every k=1,,nk = 1, \dots, n.
In order to prove (6) we fix kk and set
xi=1kiNfor i=1,,k x_i = \frac{1}{k} - \frac{i}{N} \quad \text{for } i = 1, \dots, k
and
xi=n+1iN2for i=k+1,,n x_i = \frac{n+1-i}{N^2} \quad \text{for } i = k+1, \dots, n
for some integer N>0N > 0 to be determined as follows:
The conditions x1>x2>>xn>0x_1 > x_2 > \dots > x_n > 0 are certainly fulfilled in the case k=nk = n and for k<nk < n the only non-trivial relation is xk>xk+1x_k > x_{k+1} that is 1kkN>nkN2\frac{1}{k} - \frac{k}{N} > \frac{n-k}{N^2}. Hence we choose N>knN > kn, in order to have 1kkN>nkNnkN2\frac{1}{k} - \frac{k}{N} > \frac{n-k}{N} \ge \frac{n-k}{N^2}.
The condition x1++xn<1x_1 + \dots + x_n < 1 means 1k(k+1)N+(nk)(nk+1)N2<11 - \frac{k(k+1)}{N} + \frac{(n-k)(n-k+1)}{N^2} < 1 and will be satisfied for
N>(nk)(nk+1)k(k+1) N > \frac{(n-k)(n-k+1)}{k(k+1)}
For N>max{kn,(nk)(nk+1)k(k+1)}N > \max\{kn, \frac{(n-k)(n-k+1)}{k(k+1)}\} the numbers x1,,xnx_1, \dots, x_n fulfill the relevant conditions and we conclude
i=1naixi3<1. \sum_{i=1}^{n} a_i x_i^3 < 1.
By taking the limit NN \to \infty we get i=1nailimNxi31\sum_{i=1}^{n} a_i \lim_{N \to \infty} x_i^3 \le 1, which gives i=1kai1k31\sum_{i=1}^{k} a_i \frac{1}{k^3} \le 1, hence the desired estimate (6). \square

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