12 Chapter 2

87 Problem Shew that 89 Problem Prove that if r ≥ s ≥ t ≥ u ≥ v then

1 − x2048 r2 − s2 + t 2 − u2 + v2 ≥ (r − s + t − u + v)2 (2.7)

(1 + x)(1 + x2 )(1 + x4 )(1 + x8 ) · · · (1 + x1024 ) = .
1−x

90 Problem (AIME 1987) Compute

88 Problem Shew that
(104 + 324)(224 + 324)(344 + 324)(464 + 324)(584 + 324)
2 2 2 1
(44 + 324)(164 + 324)(284 + 324)(404 + 324)(524 + 324)
.
a + b + c − ab − bc − ca = (a − b)2 + (b − c)2 + (c − a)2 .
2

91 Problem Write (a2 + a + 1)2 as the sum of three squares.

2.2 Squares of Real Numbers

√ √ √
If x is a real number then x2 ≥ 0. Thus if a ≥ 0, b ≥ 0 then ( a − b)2 ≥ 0 gives, upon expanding the square, a − 2 ab + b ≥ 0,
or
√ a+b
ab ≤ .
2
a+b √
Since is the arithmetic mean of a, b and ab is the geometric mean of a, b the inequality
2
√ a+b
ab ≤ (2.8)
2
is known as the Arithmetic-Mean-Geometric Mean (AM-GM) Inequality.

92 Example Let u1 , u2 , u3 , u4 be non-negative real numbers. By applying the preceding result twice, establish the AM-GM
Inequality for four quantities:
u1 + u2 + u3 + u4
(u1 u2 u3 u4 )1/4 ≤ (2.9)
4

√ u1 + u2 √ u3 + u4 √ √
Solution: We have u1 u2 ≤and u3 u4 ≤ . Now, applying the AM-GM Inequality twice to u1 u2 and u3 u4
2 2
we obtain √ √
È√ √ u1 u2 + u3 u4 u1 +u2
+ u3 +u 4
u1 u2 u3 u4 ≤ ≤ 2 2
.
2 2
Simplification yields the desired result.

u+v+w
93 Example Let u, v, w be non-negative real numbers. By using the preceding result on the four quantities u, v, w, and ,
3
establish the AM-GM Inequality for three quantities:
u+v+w
(uvw)1/3 ≤ (2.10)
3

Solution: By the AM-GM Inequality for four values

  u + v + w 1/4 u + v + w + u+v+w
3
uvw ≤ .
3 4
Some algebraic manipulation makes this equivalent to
 u + v + w 1/4 u+v+w u+v+w
(uvw)1/4 ≤ +
3 4 12
or upon adding the fraction on the right
 u + v + w 1/4 u+v+w
(uvw)1/4 ≤ .
3 3