Suppose that x and y are positive real numbers such that x2−xy+2y2=8. Find the maximum possible value of x2+xy+2y2.
A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.
Solution
Let u=x2+2y2. By AM-GM, u≥8xy, so xy≤8u. If we let xy=ku where k≤81, then we have u(1−k)=8 and u(1+k)=x2+xy+2y2, that is, u(1+k)=8⋅1−k1+k. It is not hard to see that the maximum value of this expression occurs at k=81, so the maximum value is 8⋅1−811+81=772+322.
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.