Let ABC be a triangle in the plane with AB=13,BC=14,AC=15. Let Mn denote the smallest possible value of (APn+BPn+CPn)n1 over all points P in the plane. Find limn→∞Mn.
A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.
Solution
Let R denote the circumradius of triangle ABC. As ABC is an acute triangle, it isn't hard to check that for any point P, we have either AP≥R,BP≥R, or CP≥R. Also, note that if we choose P=O (the circumcenter) then (APn+BPn+CPn)=3⋅Rn. Therefore, we have the inequality R≤minP∈R2(APn+BPn+CPn)n1≤(3Rn)n1=R⋅3n1. Taking n→∞ yields R≤limn→∞Mn≤R (as limn→∞3n1=1 ), so the answer is R=865.
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