Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 7.2 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it

(2) Use the result from (1) to prove: If real numbers a1,a2,,ana_{1}, a_{2}, \cdots, a_{n} satisfy a1+a2++ana_{1}+a_{2}+\cdots+a_{n} \geqslant (n1)(a12+a22++an2)\sqrt{(-n-1)\left(a_{1}^{2}+a_{2}^{2}+\cdots+a_{n}^{2}\right)}, prove that all a1,a2,,ana_{1}, a_{2}, \cdots, a_{n} are non-negative (1959 \sim 1966 IMO Shortlist)

Solution

(2) By symmetry, without loss of generality, assume $a_{n}0
\end{array} a_{1}+a_{2}+\cdots+a_{n-1}>a_{1}+a_{2}+\cdots+a_{n} \geqslant \sqrt{(n-1)\left(a_{1}^{2}+a_{2}^{2}+\cdots+a_{n}^{2}\right)}Squaringbothsides,weget Squaring both sides, we get \left(a_{1}+a_{2}+\cdots+a_{n-1}\right)^{2}>(n-1)\left(a_{1}^{2}+a_{2}^{2}+\cdots+a_{n}^{2}\right) Therefore, applying the conclusion of (1) to $n-1$, we have (n-1)\left(a_{1}^{2}+a_{2}^{2}+\cdots+a_{n-1}^{2}\right) \geqslant\left(a_{1}+a_{2}+\cdots+a_{n-1}\right)^{2}

From (1) and (2), we get a12+a22++an12>a12+a22++an2a_{1}^{2}+a_{2}^{2}+\cdots+a_{n-1}^{2}>a_{1}^{2}+a_{2}^{2}+\cdots+a_{n}^{2}, which implies an2<0a_{n}^{2}<0. This is a contradiction, hence an0a_{n} \geqslant 0. Similarly, a1,a2,,an10a_{1}, a_{2}, \cdots, a_{n-1} \geqslant 0.

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