Inequalities - Tangent line trick











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I will first state the "trick":



we fix $a=frac{a_1+a_2+...+a_n}{n}, $If $f$ is not convex we can sometimes prove:$$f(x)ge f(a)+f'(a)(x-a) $$ If this manages to hold for all x, then summing up the inequality will give us the desired conclusion.



Then we have the following example:
We want to show, given that $a+b+c=3$: $$sum_{cyc}(frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2) ge 6 $$Using the tangent line trick we get the following:$$ frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2 ge frac{(c+3)}{2}Leftarrow Rightarrow$$ $$ c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$$then the proof claims "and the conclusion follows by summing", now, two things are really confusing to me, first of I don't understand how the "tangent line trick" is applyed here i.e. where does the $frac{c+3}{2}$ comes from...



Apart from that our last inequality, i.e. $c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$ holds only for $0 le c le frac{9}{2}$, so I'm confused since we don't have such bounds on c (nor on a and b), am I not getting this right or is the proof incomplete?



You can find everything I wrote here (page 5): Olympiad Inequalities by Evan Chen










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    up vote
    0
    down vote

    favorite












    I will first state the "trick":



    we fix $a=frac{a_1+a_2+...+a_n}{n}, $If $f$ is not convex we can sometimes prove:$$f(x)ge f(a)+f'(a)(x-a) $$ If this manages to hold for all x, then summing up the inequality will give us the desired conclusion.



    Then we have the following example:
    We want to show, given that $a+b+c=3$: $$sum_{cyc}(frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2) ge 6 $$Using the tangent line trick we get the following:$$ frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2 ge frac{(c+3)}{2}Leftarrow Rightarrow$$ $$ c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$$then the proof claims "and the conclusion follows by summing", now, two things are really confusing to me, first of I don't understand how the "tangent line trick" is applyed here i.e. where does the $frac{c+3}{2}$ comes from...



    Apart from that our last inequality, i.e. $c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$ holds only for $0 le c le frac{9}{2}$, so I'm confused since we don't have such bounds on c (nor on a and b), am I not getting this right or is the proof incomplete?



    You can find everything I wrote here (page 5): Olympiad Inequalities by Evan Chen










    share|cite|improve this question


























      up vote
      0
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      0
      down vote

      favorite











      I will first state the "trick":



      we fix $a=frac{a_1+a_2+...+a_n}{n}, $If $f$ is not convex we can sometimes prove:$$f(x)ge f(a)+f'(a)(x-a) $$ If this manages to hold for all x, then summing up the inequality will give us the desired conclusion.



      Then we have the following example:
      We want to show, given that $a+b+c=3$: $$sum_{cyc}(frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2) ge 6 $$Using the tangent line trick we get the following:$$ frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2 ge frac{(c+3)}{2}Leftarrow Rightarrow$$ $$ c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$$then the proof claims "and the conclusion follows by summing", now, two things are really confusing to me, first of I don't understand how the "tangent line trick" is applyed here i.e. where does the $frac{c+3}{2}$ comes from...



      Apart from that our last inequality, i.e. $c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$ holds only for $0 le c le frac{9}{2}$, so I'm confused since we don't have such bounds on c (nor on a and b), am I not getting this right or is the proof incomplete?



      You can find everything I wrote here (page 5): Olympiad Inequalities by Evan Chen










      share|cite|improve this question















      I will first state the "trick":



      we fix $a=frac{a_1+a_2+...+a_n}{n}, $If $f$ is not convex we can sometimes prove:$$f(x)ge f(a)+f'(a)(x-a) $$ If this manages to hold for all x, then summing up the inequality will give us the desired conclusion.



      Then we have the following example:
      We want to show, given that $a+b+c=3$: $$sum_{cyc}(frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2) ge 6 $$Using the tangent line trick we get the following:$$ frac{18}{(3-c)(4-c)}-c^2 ge frac{(c+3)}{2}Leftarrow Rightarrow$$ $$ c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$$then the proof claims "and the conclusion follows by summing", now, two things are really confusing to me, first of I don't understand how the "tangent line trick" is applyed here i.e. where does the $frac{c+3}{2}$ comes from...



      Apart from that our last inequality, i.e. $c(c-1)^2(2c-9) le 0$ holds only for $0 le c le frac{9}{2}$, so I'm confused since we don't have such bounds on c (nor on a and b), am I not getting this right or is the proof incomplete?



      You can find everything I wrote here (page 5): Olympiad Inequalities by Evan Chen







      inequality contest-math tangent-line-method






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      edited Nov 28 at 22:20









      Michael Rozenberg

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      asked Nov 27 at 20:52









      Spasoje Durovic

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          The inequality, which you want to prove is wrong. Try $crightarrow3^+$.



          For positive variables it's true and you wrote the proof.



          By the way, you can not use the theorem 2.8 in the contest, otherwise, you need to write a proof of this theorem, which is not so easy. I mean the theorem from this book.






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            up vote
            1
            down vote



            accepted










            The inequality, which you want to prove is wrong. Try $crightarrow3^+$.



            For positive variables it's true and you wrote the proof.



            By the way, you can not use the theorem 2.8 in the contest, otherwise, you need to write a proof of this theorem, which is not so easy. I mean the theorem from this book.






            share|cite|improve this answer



























              up vote
              1
              down vote



              accepted










              The inequality, which you want to prove is wrong. Try $crightarrow3^+$.



              For positive variables it's true and you wrote the proof.



              By the way, you can not use the theorem 2.8 in the contest, otherwise, you need to write a proof of this theorem, which is not so easy. I mean the theorem from this book.






              share|cite|improve this answer

























                up vote
                1
                down vote



                accepted







                up vote
                1
                down vote



                accepted






                The inequality, which you want to prove is wrong. Try $crightarrow3^+$.



                For positive variables it's true and you wrote the proof.



                By the way, you can not use the theorem 2.8 in the contest, otherwise, you need to write a proof of this theorem, which is not so easy. I mean the theorem from this book.






                share|cite|improve this answer














                The inequality, which you want to prove is wrong. Try $crightarrow3^+$.



                For positive variables it's true and you wrote the proof.



                By the way, you can not use the theorem 2.8 in the contest, otherwise, you need to write a proof of this theorem, which is not so easy. I mean the theorem from this book.







                share|cite|improve this answer














                share|cite|improve this answer



                share|cite|improve this answer








                edited Nov 27 at 22:07

























                answered Nov 27 at 22:00









                Michael Rozenberg

                95.2k1588183




                95.2k1588183






























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