tm1424 PDF
tm1424 PDF
tm1424 PDF
Zoran Kadelburg
1. Introduction
Recall that, for decreasing finite sequences a = (ai )ni=1 and b = (bi )ni=1 of real
numbers, a is said to majorize b, what is denoted by a º b, or b ¹ a, if the terms
of these sequences satisfy the following two conditions:
k
X k
X n
X n
X
1◦ ai > bi , for each k ∈ {1, 2, . . . , n − 1}; 2◦ ai = bi .
i=1 i=1 i=1 i=1
Rx
Proof. [8] Put ψ(x) = ψ1 (x) − ψ2 (x) and g(x) = α ψ(t) dt. Then, by the
hypothesis, g(x) > 0 for x ∈ [α, β] and g(α) = g(β) = 0. Using integration by parts
in the Stieltjes integral, we get
Z β Z β ¯β Z β
¯
ϕ(t)ψ(t) dt = ϕ(t) dg(t) = ϕ(t)g(t)¯ − g(t) dϕ(t)
α α α α
Z β
=− g(t) dϕ(t) 6 0.
α
Following [10], one can use this lemma to deduce the following classical in-
equality, which is connected with various names—I. Schur [14], G. H. Hardy, J. I.
Littlewood, G. Polya [3], H. Weyl [18], and J. Karamata [9]. Following articles [5],
[10] and [13], we shall call it Karamata’s inequality.
Theorem 1. Let a = (ai )ni=1 and b = (bi )ni=1 be two (finite) decreasing se-
quences of real numbers from an interval (α, β). If a º b, and if f : (α, β) → R is
a convex function, then the following inequality holds
n
X n
X
(1) f (ai ) > f (bi ).
i=1 i=1
It is easy to see that A(x) 6 B(x), for x ∈ [α, β] and A(a1 ) = B(a1 ). More-
over, A0 (x) and B 0 (x) exist everywhere except in a finite set of points. Applying
Lemma 1, we conclude that
Z a1 Z a1
(2) ϕ dA(x) > ϕ dB(x).
α α
But,
Z a1 Z an Z an−1 Z a1
ϕ dA(x) = n ϕ dx + (n − 1) ϕ dx + · · · + ϕ dx
α α an a2
= f (a1 ) + f (a2 ) + · · · + f (an ),
and the similar relation holds for the integral on the right-hand side of (2). This
proves Karamata’s inequality.
If the function f is strictly convex, it can be easily checked that the equality
in (1) is obtained if and only if the sequences (ai ) and (bi ) coincide.
By the standard technique (passing from natural to rational and then to real
weights) one can deduce the weighted form of Karamata’s inequality (sometimes
called Fuchs’ inequality, see [2]):
n
X n
X
λi f (ai ) > λi f (bi )
i=1 i=1
Pk Pk
if λi ∈ R+ and (ai ) and (bi ) are decreasing sequences, λi ai > λi bi for k ∈
P
n P
n i=1 i=1
{1, 2, . . . , n − 1} and λi a i = λi bi . An immediate consequence is the classical
i=1 i=1
Jensen’s inequality:
Theorem
R x 3. Let f, g : [0, a] → R, 0 6 g(x) 6 1, f be decreasing on [0, a], and
let F (x) = 0 f dt. Then
Z a µZ a ¶
f g dx 6 F g dx .
0 0
100 Z. Kadelburg
Ra
Proof. [10] If we denote c = g dx, then 0 < c 6 a. Let
0
½
1, x ∈ [0, c],
h(x) =
0, x ∈ (c, a].
Then, it is easy to check that h º g, and so, applying Lemma 1, we obtain Stef-
fensen’s inequality in the form
Z c Z a Z a
f dx = f h dx > f g dx.
0 0 0
Lemma 2. Let a = (ai )ni=1 , b = (bi )ni=1 and c = (ci )ni=1 be three decreasing
sequences of real numbers, such that a º b. Then the following inequality holds:
n
X n
X
ai ci > bi ci .
i=1 i=1
P
i Pi
Proof. Denote Ai = aj , Bi = bj , for i ∈ {1, 2, . . . , n}, and put A0 =
B0 = 0. Then we have j=1 j=1
n
X n
X n
X n
X
ai ci − bi ci = (ai − bi )ci = (Ai − Ai−1 − Bi + Bi−1 )ci
i=1 i=1 i=1 i=1
n
X Xn
= (Ai − Bi )ci − (Ai−1 − Bi−1 )ci
i=1 i=1
n−1
X n−1
X
= (Ai − Bi )ci − (Ai − Bi )ci+1
i=1 i=0
n−1
X
= (Ai − Bi )(ci − ci+1 ) > 0,
i=1
Theorem 4. If (xi )ni=1 and (yi )ni=1 are decreasing sequences of real numbers,
then the following inequality holds:
µX n ¶µXn ¶ X n
(4) xi yi 6 n xi yi .
i=1 i=1 i=1
Proof. [12] Without loss of generality, we can assume that the terms xi and yi
of the given sequences are nonnegative (if, for example, some of xi ’s or yi ’s were
negative, we would apply the procedure that follows to the terms x0i = xi − xn > 0
and yi0 = yi − yn > 0).
P n xi 1
Denote X = xi , ai = and bi = . Then the sequences (ai ) i (bi ) are
i=1 X n
decreasing and, by Example 1, (ai ) º (bi ) holds true. Applying Lemma 2 to the
sequences (ai ), (bi ) and taking ci = yi , we obtain
n
X Xn
xi 1
· yi > · yi ,
X i=1 i=1
n
µ n ¶µ n ¶
P
n P P
i.e., n xi yi > xi yi .
i=1 i=1 i=1
Theorem 4’. Let (xi )ni=1 and (yi )ni=1 be decreasing sequences of real numbers,
and let π be an arbitrary permutation of the set {1, 2, . . . , n}. Then the inequality
n
X n
X
(5) xi yπ(i) 6 xi yi
i=1 i=1
holds. If the sequence (xi )ni=1 is strictly decreasing, then equality in (5) holds if and
only if yπ(i) = yi for i ∈ {1, 2, . . . , n}.
It is easy to prove that the function g(x) = f (x) + f (1 − x) has the maximum on
the segment [0, 1] equal to g(1/2) = 1/8. Thus, in this case also, f (x1 ) + f (x2 ) +
· · · + f (xn ) 6 1/8 follows.
Equality holds, e.g., for x1 = x2 = 1/2, which proves that C = 1/8. 4
Problem 4. [G. Szegö, [17]] Let f : [0, a1 ] → R be a convex function and
a1 > a2 > . . . > a2n+1 > 0. Then the inequality
f (a1 − a2 + a3 − · · · + a2n+1 ) 6 f (a1 ) − f (a2 ) + f (a3 ) − · · · + f (a2n+1 )
holds.
Solution. [5] Put a = a1 − a2 + a3 − · · · + a2n+1 . Then the given inequality
can be rewritten as
f (a1 ) + f (a3 ) + · · · + f (a2n+1 ) > f (a) + f (a2 ) + · · · + f (a2n ).
To apply Karamata’s inequality it is enough to check that (a1 , a3 , . . . , a2n+1 ) º
(a2 , . . . , a2n , a). But this follows directly because a2k−1 > a2k for all k.
For another proof of Szegö’s inequality see [11] or [8]. 4
Problem 5. Let a, b and c be the length of sides of a triangle and let s be its
semiperimeter. Prove that for a positive integer n, the inequality
µ ¶n−2
an bn cn 2
+ + > sn−1
b+c c+a a+b 3
holds.
Solution. [7] Without loss of generality, we can suppose that a 6 b 6 c; then
1 1 1
also 6 6 . Chebyshev’s inequality, applied to the sequences
b+c cµ
+a a+b ¶
n n n 1 1 1
(a , b , c ) and , , , implies that
b+c c+a a+b
µ ¶
an bn cn an + bn + cn 1 1 1
+ + > + + .
b+c c+a a+b 3 a+b b+c c+a
By Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, we have
µ ¶
1 1 1
2(a + b + c) + + > 9,
a+b b+c c+a
and by the mean inequality of order n,
µ ¶n
an + bn + cn a+b+c
> .
3 3
Now,
µ ¶n µ ¶
an bn cn a+b+c 1 1 1
+ + > + +
b+c c+a a+b 3 a+b b+c c+a
µ ¶n−1 µ ¶n−2
1 1 2 2
> · · s ·9= sn−1 . 4
3 2 3 3
104 Z. Kadelburg
REFERENCES
[1] D. D- ukić, V. Janković, I. Matić, N. Petrović, The IMO Compendium, Springer, 2006.
[2] L. Fuchs, A new proof of an inequality of Hardy-Littlewood-Pólya, Math. Tidsskr. B. (1947),
53–54.
[3] G. H. Hardy, J. E. Littlewood, G. Pólya, Some simple inequalities satisfied by convex function,
Messenger Math. 58 (1928/29), 145–152.
[4] G. H. Hardy, J. E. Littlewood, G. Pólya, Inequalities, Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed.,
Cambridge 1952.
[5] A. I. Hrabrov, Around Mongolian inequality (in Russian), Matematicheskoe prosveshchenie,
3, 7 (2003), 149–162.
[6] J. L. W. V. Jensen, Sur les fonctions convexes et les inégalités entre les valeurs moyennes,
Acta Math. 30 (1906), 175–193.
[7] Z. Kadelburg, D. D - ukić, M. Lukić, I. Matić, Inequalities (in Serbian), Društvo matematičara
Srbije, Beograd, 2003.
[8] Z. Kadelburg, D. D - ukić, M. Lukić, I. Matić: Inequalities of Karamata, Schur and Muirhead,
and some applications, The Teaching of Mathematics VIII, 1 (2005), 31–45.
[9] J. Karamata, Sur une inégalité relative aux fonctions convexes, Publ. Math. Univ. Belgrade
1 (1932), 145–148.
[10] M. Marjanović, Some inequalities with convex functions, Publ. de l’Inst. Math. (Belgrade) 8
(22) (1968), 66–68.
[11] M. Marjanović, Convex and concave functions and corresponding inequalities (in Serbian),
Nastava Matematike XL, 1–2 (1994), pp. 1–11 and 3–4 (1995), pp. 1–14, Društvo matema-
tičara Srbije, Beograd.
[12] M. M. Marjanović, Z. Kadelburg, A proof of Chebyshev’s inequality, The Teaching of Math-
ematics X, 2 (2007), 107–108.
[13] D. Nomirovskiı̆, Karamata’s Inequality (in Russian), Kvant 4 (2003), 43–45.
[14] I. Schur, Über eine Klasse von Mittelbildungen mit Anwendungen die Determinanten, Theorie
Sitzungsler, Berlin, Math. Gesellschaft 22 (1923), 9–20.
[15] J. E. Steffensen, On a generalization of certain inequalities by Tchebychef and Jensen, Skand.
Aktuarietidskr. (1925), 137–147.
[16] J. E. Steffensen, Bounds of certain trigonometric integrals, Tenth Scand. Math. Congress
1946, 181–186, Copenhagen, Gjellerups, 1947.
[17] G. Szegö, Über eine Verallgemeinerung des Dirichletschen Integrals, Math. Zeitschrift 52
(1950), 676–685.
[18] H. Weyl, Inequalities between the two kinds of eigenvalues of a linear transformation, Proc.
Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 35 (1949), 408–411.
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mathematics, Studentski trg 16/IV, 11000 Beograd, Serbia
E-mail: kadelbur@matf.bg.ac.rs