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Power Means
Power Means
2
5 381–Power Means
a+b
A(a, b) = .
2
• The geometric mean of two positive numbers a and b is de-
fined by
√
G(a, b) = ab.
1 1 2ab
H(a, b) = = 1 1 = .
H a1 , 1b
a+b a+b
2
1
8 They also proved (and the proof is fairly easy) that
H ≤ G ≤ A ≤ Q. (5)
2
11 Generally, we can define Mr for every r ∈ R with r 6= 0 by
r 1
a + br r
Mr (a, b) = (6)
2
12 Clearly,
13 • M1 is nothing but the mean,
14 • M2 is nothing but the mean,
15 • M−1 is nothing but the mean,
1
16 However, M0 is not defined because 0 is not defined.
3
18 In Calculus, the function
sin x
f (x) = (7)
x
19 is not defined at x = 0. But since
sin x
lim f (x) = lim = 1, (8)
x→0 x→0 x
20 it is natural to set
f (0) = 1. (9)
4
21 Similarly, we shall prove that
r 1
a + br r
lim Mr (a, b) = lim (10)
r→0 r→0 2
√
= ab = G(a, b) for all a, b > 0. (11)
22 Thus we shall agree on the convention
M0 (a, b) = G(a, b) for all a, b > 0, i.e., M0 = G. (12)
(ln(ar + br ) − ln 2)′ ar ln a + br ln b
= (16)
r′ ar + br
ln a + ln b
→ (as r → 0) (17)
2
ln(ab) 1
= = ln(ab) (18)
2 2 √
1
= ln(ab) 2 = ln( ab). (19)
27 Therefore
√
lim ln F (r) = ln( ab). (20)
r→0
28 Therefore
√
lim F (r) = ab, (21)
r→0
29 as claimed
5
30 The inequality
H≤G≤A≤Q (22)
M−1 ≤ M0 ≤ M1 ≤ M2 . (23)
6
35 Everything we did holds for any number of variables. Thus we
36 set
1
ar1 + . . . + arn r
Mr (a1 , . . . , an ) = for r 6= 0, (24)
n
√
M0 (a1 , . . . , an ) = r a1 . . . an = the geometric mean (25)
37 Then we have