Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /425 of 520

Algebra Difficulty 5.8 AIME, harder Prove it

Let {an}\left\{a_{n}\right\} be a positive arithmetic sequence, nn and pp be positive integers, and p>1p>1. Prove:
i=1n(1+aip)(1+a1an2p)n. \prod_{i=1}^{n}\left(1+\sqrt[p]{a_{i}}\right) \geqslant\left(1+\sqrt[2p]{a_{1} a_{n}}\right)^{n} .

Solution

aian+1i=[a1+(i1)d][a1+(ni)d]=a12+(n1)a1d+(i1)(ni)d2a12+(n1)a1d=a1[a1+(n1)d]=a1an,(1+aip)(1+an+1ip)=1+(aip+an+1ip)+aian+1ip1+2aian+1ip+aian+1ip=(1+aian+1ip)2(1+a1anp)2=(1+a1an2p)2. Hence i=1n[(1+aip)(1+an+1ip)](1+a1an2p)2n. \begin{array}{l} a_{i} a_{n+1-i}=\left[a_{1}+(i-1) d\right]\left[a_{1}+(n-i) d\right] \\ =a_{1}^{2}+(n-1) a_{1} d+(i-1)(n-i) d^{2} \\ \geqslant a_{1}^{2}+(n-1) a_{1} d \\ =a_{1}\left[a_{1}+(n-1) d\right]=a_{1} a_{n}, \\ \quad\left(1+\sqrt[p]{a_{i}}\right)\left(1+\sqrt[p]{a_{n+1-i}}\right) \\ \quad=1+\left(\sqrt[p]{a_{i}}+\sqrt[p]{a_{n+1-i}}\right)+\sqrt[p]{a_{i} a_{n+1-i}} \\ \geqslant 1+2 \sqrt{\sqrt[p]{a_{i} a_{n+1-i}}}+\sqrt[p]{a_{i} a_{n+1-i}} \\ =\left(1+\sqrt{\sqrt[p]{a_{i} a_{n+1-i}}}\right)^{2} \\ \geqslant\left(1+\sqrt{\sqrt[p]{a_{1} a_{n}}}\right)^{2}=\left(1+\sqrt[2 p]{a_{1} a_{n}}\right)^{2} . \\ \quad \text { Hence } \prod_{i=1}^{n}\left[\left(1+\sqrt[p]{a_{i}}\right)\left(1+\sqrt[p]{a_{n+1-i}}\right)\right] \\ \geqslant\left(1+\sqrt[2 p]{a_{1} a_{n}}\right)^{2 n} . \end{array}

Therefore, i=1n(1+aip(1+a1an2p)n\prod_{i=1}^{n}\left(1+\sqrt[p]{a_{i}} \geqslant\left(1+\sqrt[2 p]{a_{1} a_{n}}\right)^{n}\right..
The equality holds when ai=an+1ia_{i}=a_{n+1-i}, i.e., when the common difference of {an}\left\{a_{n}\right\} is zero.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.