March 14, 2022 15:45 Problems and Solutions in Mathematical. . .

- 9in x 6in b4436-study1 page 407

Solutions for Chapter 1

Maximum and Minimum

Values

√  √ 2  √ 2 √ √ √
x y y
1. 2. By √x+y + √x+y = 1, we get √ x + √ ≤ 2, and
x+y x+y
the equality holds when x = y.
2. 2. It is from
(x + y)(x + z) = yz + x(x + y + z)

≥ 2 yzx(x + y + z) = 2.
  
3. 25
4 . We have that a + a1 b + 1b = ab + ab 1
+ ab + ab ≥ ab + ab
1
+2 =
1 15 5 15 25
ab + 16ab + 16ab + 2 ≥ 2 + 4(a+b)2 = 4 .
4. 32 . It is easy to see that t(1 − t) ≤ 14 for any real number t, and the
equality is true if and only if t = 12 . Now, M = x(1 − x) + 2y(1 − y) +
3z(1 − z) ≤ 14 + 2 · 14 + 3 · 14 = 32 , and the equality holds if and only if
x = y = z = 12 and w = − 21 .
5. 13
3 . From x + y + z = 5 we get (x + y)2 = (5 − z)2 , and from
xy + yz + zx = 3, we have xy = 3 − z(5 − z). Consequently,
(x − y)2 = (x + y)2 − 4xy = (5 − z)2 − 4[3 − z(5 − z)]
= (13 − 3z)(1 + z) ≥ 0.
13 13 1
√ the above gives −1 ≤ z ≤ 3 , and z = 3 when x = y = 3 .
Solving
6. 9 + 3 15. Since
 √ 2
(x + y)2 = 9 y + 2 + x + 1 ≤ 18[(y + 2) + (x + 1)],

407
March 14, 2022 15:45 Problems and Solutions in Mathematical. . . - 9in x 6in b4436-study1 page 408

408 Problems and Solutions in Mathematical Olympiad: High School 2

√
we obtain (x + y)2 − 18(x + y) − 54 ≤ 0, from which
√ x + y ≤ 9 + 3√ 15,
and the equality holds if and only if x = 5 + 3 215 and y = 4 + 3 215 .
7. 0.
1 1 1
 see that 0 < a,1 b, c 1 < 1 1 and a + b + c = 1.
It is easy to
Now, a + b + c = (a + b + c) a + b + c ≥ 9 (the equal-
ity holds  when a = b = c = 13 ),  namely 9abc ≤ ab + bc +
ca = 12 (a + b + c)2 − (a2 + b2 + c2 ) = 12 1 − (a2 + b2 + c2 ) . In
other words,

a2 + b2 + c2 + 18abc ≤ 1.

8. Consider the three inequalities: (i) x ≥ S; (ii) y + x1 ≥ S; (iii) y1 ≥ S.

They are all satisfied and at least one equality is valid, too. Our purpose
is to find the maximum value of S satisfying all the above conditions.
Since x, y ∈ R+ , so S > 0. By (iii), y ≤ S1 . Also (i) implies that x1 ≤ S1 ,
and (ii) ensures that

1 2
+y ≤ .
S≤
x S
√
In other words, S 2 ≤ 2, so S ≤ √ 2. √ √
On the other hand, √ when x = 2 and y = 22 , we have S = 2.
Therefore, Smax = 2. √
√ √
9. Since a = x1 + x2 + x3 ≥ 3 3 x1 x2 x3 = 3 3 a, so a ≥ 3 3. From

3(x1 x2 + x2 x3 + x3 x1 ) ≤ (x1 + x2 + x3 )2 ,

we have 3b ≤ a. Hence,

a2 + 6b + 1 a2 + 2a + 1 1
p= 2
≤ 2
=1+
a +a a +a a
√
1 9+ 3
≤ 1+ √ = ,
3 3 9
√ √
and the equality
√ is satisfied when x1 = x2 = x3 = 3, namely a = 3 3
and b = 3. Hence,
√
9+ 3
pmax = .
9
March 14, 2022 15:45 Problems and Solutions in Mathematical. . . - 9in x 6in b4436-study1 page 409

Solutions: 1. Maximum and Minimum Values 409

10. We calculate

x(y 2 − x2 ) + y(z 2 − y 2 ) + z(x2 − z 2 )

Q−R =
(x + y)(y + z)(z + x)

(x2 − y 2 )(z − x) − (y + z)(y − z)2

= (1.1)
(x + y)(y + z)(z + x)

(y 2 − z 2 )(x − y) − (x + z)(x − z)2

= (1.2)
(x + y)(y + z)(z + x)

(z 2 − x2 )(y − z) − (x + y)(x − y)2

= . (1.3)
(x + y)(y + z)(z + x)

In the three numbers x, y, and z, if x is the maximum, then Q ≤ R by

(1.1); if y is the maximum, then Q ≤ R by (1.2); if z is the maximum,
then Q ≤ R by (1.3). Hence, Q ≤ R for any x, y, z ∈ R+ . If we
interchange x and z, then Q becomes P while R does not change, so
P ≤ R. Thus, f (x, y, z) = max{P, Q, R} = R. Now,

2z 2x 2y
2R = + +
x+y y+z z+x

z+x x+y y+z z+y x+z y+x

= + + + + + −3
x+y y+z z+x x+y y+z z+x
 
z+x x+y y+z z+y x+z y+x
≥33 · · +33 · · − 3 = 3,
x+y y+z z+x x+y y+z z+x

where the equality holds if and only if x = y = z. So, f (x, y, z)min = 32 .

11. For k = 1, 2, . . . , 1990, we have
 
1 1 
|yk − yk+1 | =  (x1 + x2 + · · · + xk ) − (x1 + x2 + · · · + xk+1 )
k k+1
 
 1 
=  (x1 + x2 + · · · + xk − kxk+1 )
k(k + 1)
1
≤ (|x1 − x2 | + 2|x2 − x3 | + · · · + k|xk − xk+1 |).
k(k + 1)
March 14, 2022 15:45 Problems and Solutions in Mathematical. . . - 9in x 6in b4436-study1 page 410

410 Problems and Solutions in Mathematical Olympiad: High School 2

Thus,

|y1 − y2 | + |y2 − y3 | + · · · + |y1990 − y1991 |

1 1 1
≤ |x1 − x2 | + + ··· +
1·2 2·3 1990 · 1991

1 1
+ 2|x2 − x3 | + ··· +
2·3 1990 · 1991
1
+ · · · + 1990|x1990 − x1991 |
1990 · 1991

1 2
= |x1 − x2 | 1 − + |x2 − x3 | 1 −
1991 1991

1990
+ · · · + |x1990 − x1991 | 1 −
1991

1
≤ 1991 1 − = 1990,
1991
and the equality can be obtained when x1 = 1991 and x2 = · · · =
x1991 = 0. Hence, the maximum value is 1990.
12. Note that
a − bc a + bc − 2bc bc
= =1−2· .
a + bc a + bc a + bc
From a + b + c ≥ 1, we obtain
bc bc bc
≥ = .
a + bc a(a + b + c) + bc (a + b)(c + a)
It follows that
a − bc b − ca c − ab
+ +
a + bc b + ca c + ab
2bc 2ca 2ab
≤3− − − .
(a + b)(c + a) (b + c)(a + b) (c + a)(b + c)
One can show that
2bc 2ca 2ab 3
+ + ≥ .
(a + b)(c + a) (b + c)(a + b) (c + a)(b + c) 2
In fact, multiplying the above by 2(a + b)(b + c)(c + a) gives

4[bc(b + c) + ca(c + a) + ab(a + b)] ≥ 3(a + b)(b + c)(c + a),

March 14, 2022 15:45 Problems and Solutions in Mathematical. . . - 9in x 6in b4436-study1 page 411

Solutions: 1. Maximum and Minimum Values 411

namely
(b2 c + bc2 ) + (c2 a + ca2 ) + (a2 b + ab2 ) ≥ 6abc.
But the last inequality is obviously true from the arithmetic mean-
geometric mean inequality.
It is easy to verify that when a = b = c = 13 , the above inequality
becomes an equality, so the maximum value is 32 .