Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /3 of 4

Algebra Difficulty 6.5 National olympiad Find the answer

Find all positive integers nn such that the inequality (i=1nai2)(i=1nai)i=1nai36i=1nai\left( \sum\limits_{i=1}^n a_i^2\right) \left(\sum\limits_{i=1}^n a_i \right) -\sum\limits_{i=1}^n a_i^3 \geq 6 \prod\limits_{i=1}^n a_i holds for any nn positive numbers a1,,ana_1, \dots, a_n.

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

To find all positive integers n n such that the given inequality:

(i=1nai2)(i=1nai)i=1nai36i=1nai \left( \sum_{i=1}^n a_i^2\right) \left(\sum_{i=1}^n a_i \right) -\sum_{i=1}^n a_i^3 \geq 6 \prod_{i=1}^n a_i

holds for any n n positive numbers a1,,an a_1, \dots, a_n , we proceed as follows:

1. **Case n=1 n = 1 :**
- Substitute into the inequality:
(a12)(a1)a136a1 (a_1^2) (a_1) - a_1^3 \geq 6a_1
simplifies to 06a1 0 \geq 6a_1 , which is false for positive a1 a_1 . Hence, n1 n \neq 1 .

2. **Case n=2 n = 2 :**
- Substitute into the inequality:
(a12+a22)(a1+a2)(a13+a23)6a1a2 (a_1^2 + a_2^2)(a_1 + a_2) - (a_1^3 + a_2^3) \geq 6a_1a_2
This inequality simplifies to a more complex expression that does not universally hold for all positive a1,a2 a_1, a_2 . Thus, n2 n \neq 2 .

3. **Case n=3 n = 3 :**
- Substitute into the inequality:
(a12+a22+a32)(a1+a2+a3)(a13+a23+a33)6a1a2a3 (a_1^2 + a_2^2 + a_3^2)(a_1 + a_2 + a_3) - (a_1^3 + a_2^3 + a_3^3) \geq 6a_1a_2a_3
By employing the AM-GM inequality:
- We know that i=13ai23a12a22a323 \sum_{i=1}^3 a_i^2 \geq 3\sqrt[3]{a_1^2a_2^2a_3^2} , and i=13ai3a1a2a33 \sum_{i=1}^3 a_i \geq 3\sqrt[3]{a_1 a_2 a_3} .
- Thus:
(i=13ai2)(i=13ai)9a1a2a3, \left( \sum_{i=1}^3 a_i^2 \right) \left(\sum_{i=1}^3 a_i \right) \geq 9a_1a_2a_3,
which is greater than 6a1a2a3 6a_1a_2a_3 , validating the inequality for n=3 n=3 .

4. **Consider n>3 n > 3 :**
- If the pattern continues as the number of terms increases, it is likely that inequality constraints become stricter. However, we only need to verify n=3 n = 3 among positive integers since it satisfies the problem conditions.

The problem statement is hence satisfied for:

3 \boxed{3}

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