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Print59th Ukrainian National Mathematical Olympiad
Ukraine algebra
Problem
Prove that for any real numbers the following inequality is true: Find the triples that turn it into equality.
Solution
Answer: .
Consider the given inequality as quadratic relative to the variable : Since , consider the case that . Then both variables should be equal to zero, which gives a solution in which equality is achieved. In all other cases it is a quadratic trinomial with branches up. Let's find its discriminant:
Thus it is proved that the left part is non-negative, because the discriminant is not positive.
Consider the conditions under which equality is possible, that is, when the discriminant is zero.
1 case. . Then the equality transforms into . Thus all triples and are sought ones.
2 case: . Then . Thus the triples for any real are the answer too.
Consider the given inequality as quadratic relative to the variable : Since , consider the case that . Then both variables should be equal to zero, which gives a solution in which equality is achieved. In all other cases it is a quadratic trinomial with branches up. Let's find its discriminant:
Thus it is proved that the left part is non-negative, because the discriminant is not positive.
Consider the conditions under which equality is possible, that is, when the discriminant is zero.
1 case. . Then the equality transforms into . Thus all triples and are sought ones.
2 case: . Then . Thus the triples for any real are the answer too.
Final answer
(x, y, z) = (t, 2t, 2t), (t, 0, 0), (0, t, 0), (0, 0, t) for any real t
Techniques
Linear and quadratic inequalitiesQuadratic functions