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jmc

algebra senior

Problem

Find the minimum possible value of the largest of , , and if .
Solution
We claim that the minimum is When The rest is showing that one of is always at least

Note that This means if any of these three expressions is at most then the other two add up to at least so one of them must be at least

Let and Then Assume Then This simplifies to which factors as This means either or ; either way, we are done.

Therefore, the maximum value is
Final answer
\frac{4}{9}