Maths Olympiad Prep

Track / Stage 4 / 253 of 340 #513 of 1964

Problem 513

AMC 12 late, AIME early
Geometry Difficulty 4.9 Prove it Thai Mathematical Olympiad · Thailand

Prove that
a2+b22ab+b2+c22bca2+c2 \sqrt{a^2 + b^2 - \sqrt{2} ab} + \sqrt{b^2 + c^2 - \sqrt{2} bc} \geq \sqrt{a^2 + c^2}
for all positive real numbers aa, bb and cc.

This one wants a proof. Work it on paper, then read the official solution and mark yourself. Be honest about it: the record is only any use to you if it is.

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Official solution

The inequality results from the triangle inequality,
PQ+PRQRPQ + PR \ge QR, as shown in the figure.

Figure 1

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty, ordering) added by this project.