(1) If a and b are both positive numbers, and a=b, prove that: ba+ab>a+b (2) For the sequence {an}, it is known that an>0 and (a1+a2+…+an)2=a13+a23+…+an3, find a1, a2, a3, and conjecture an.
Solution
(1) Proof: Since a and b are both positive numbers, and a=b, we have ba+b>2a and ab+a>2b, therefore ba+ab>a+b (2) Solution: According to the problem, a13=a12, solving this gives a1=1 or a1=0 (discard), since a13+a23=(a1+a2)2, i.e., 1+a23=(1+a2)2, thus 1+a23=1+2a2+a22, solving this gives a2=2 or a2=−1 (discard); therefore, the values of a1 and a2 are 1 and 2, respectively; since a13+a23+…+an3=(a1+a2+…+an)2, thus a13+a23+…+an3+an+13=(a1+a2+…+an+an+1)2. Subtracting the former from the latter, we get an+13=(a1+a2+…+an+an+1)2−(a1+a2+…+an)2, which simplifies to an+13=[2(a1+a2+…+an)+an+1]an+1, since an>0, we have an+12=2(a1+a2+…+an)+an+1. Similarly, an2=2(a1+a2+…+an−1)+an (for n≥2), subtracting the latter from the former gives an+12−an2=an+1+an. Therefore, an+1−an=1. Since a2−a1=1, it holds that for n≥1, an+1−an=1, thus, the sequence {an} is an arithmetic sequence with the first term as 1 and common difference as 1, hence, the general term formula for the sequence {an} is an=n. So, the conjecture for an is an=n.
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