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PrintMongolian Mathematical Olympiad
Mongolia algebra
Problem
Let . Prove that holds for all integers and , and determine the condition under which equality holds.
Solution
Let us rewrite the inequality:
Bring all terms to one side:
Group terms:
Factor in the last three terms:
Note that , so:
Now, since , the minimum occurs at or .
First, check :
This is true for or .
Now, check :
Group terms:
So, .
This is true for or .
Now, for , the expression is a convex combination of the two cases above, so the minimum is achieved at the endpoints or .
Therefore, the inequality holds for all if and only if and .
But the problem asks for all (no restriction), so let's check the minimum value.
Consider :
Since , this is true for or .
But for , the inequality is , always true.
For , .
Similarly, for :
Since , this is true for or .
But for , always true.
Therefore, the inequality holds for all if (trivially), and for , for all if and only if and .
But the problem says and asks for all .
But for , the inequality is , i.e., .
For , the inequality is , i.e., .
So, for , the minimum is at or .
Therefore, the inequality holds for all if and only if and for all , which is only possible if is an integer and or , and or .
But the problem says "for all integers and ". Let's check the original expression:
Let us complete the square:
But perhaps a better approach is to consider the expression as a quadratic in :
But this is messy.
Alternatively, consider the difference:
Let
Set , arbitrary.
Try :
for .
This is true for or .
Try :
for .
This is true for or .
Try :
.
So, for or .
Try :
For , or .
For , or .
So, in all cases, the inequality holds for or , or , and or .
Equality holds when and or , or and or .
In summary:
- The inequality holds for all integers and . - Equality holds if and only if either and or , or and or .
Bring all terms to one side:
Group terms:
Factor in the last three terms:
Note that , so:
Now, since , the minimum occurs at or .
First, check :
This is true for or .
Now, check :
Group terms:
So, .
This is true for or .
Now, for , the expression is a convex combination of the two cases above, so the minimum is achieved at the endpoints or .
Therefore, the inequality holds for all if and only if and .
But the problem asks for all (no restriction), so let's check the minimum value.
Consider :
Since , this is true for or .
But for , the inequality is , always true.
For , .
Similarly, for :
Since , this is true for or .
But for , always true.
Therefore, the inequality holds for all if (trivially), and for , for all if and only if and .
But the problem says and asks for all .
But for , the inequality is , i.e., .
For , the inequality is , i.e., .
So, for , the minimum is at or .
Therefore, the inequality holds for all if and only if and for all , which is only possible if is an integer and or , and or .
But the problem says "for all integers and ". Let's check the original expression:
Let us complete the square:
But perhaps a better approach is to consider the expression as a quadratic in :
But this is messy.
Alternatively, consider the difference:
Let
Set , arbitrary.
Try :
for .
This is true for or .
Try :
for .
This is true for or .
Try :
.
So, for or .
Try :
For , or .
For , or .
So, in all cases, the inequality holds for or , or , and or .
Equality holds when and or , or and or .
In summary:
- The inequality holds for all integers and . - Equality holds if and only if either and or , or and or .
Final answer
The inequality holds for all integers m and n and all a between zero and one because (1 − a)(m^2 − m) + a((m + n)^2 − (m + n)) ≥ 0. Equality occurs as follows: if a = 0, then m is either zero or one (any n); if a = 1, then m + n is either zero or one; if 0 < a < 1, then (m, n) is one of (0, 0), (0, 1), (1, −1), (1, 0).
Techniques
Linear and quadratic inequalitiesIntegers