Show that (x2 + 2)(y2 + 2)(z2 + 2) ≥ 9(xy + yz + zx) for any positive reals x, y, z.
Solution
Expanding lhs we get x2y2z2 + 2(x2y2 + y2z2 + z2x2) + 4(x2 + y2 + z2) + 8.
By AM/GM we have 3(x2 + y2 + z2) ≥ 3(xy + yz + zx) and (2x2y2 + 2) + (2y2z2 + 2) + (2z2x2 + 2) ≥ 4(xy + yz + zx). That leaves us needing x2y2z2 + x2 + y2 + z2 + 2 ≥ 2(xy + yz + zx) (*). That is hard, because it is not clear how to deal with the xyz on the lhs.
By AM/GM we have (a+b)(b+c)(c+a) ≥ 8abc. So if (u+v-w), (u-v+w), (-u+v+w) are all non-negative, we can put 2a = -u+v+w, 2b = u-v+w, 2c = u+v-w and get uvw ≥ (-u+v+w)(u-v+w)(u+v-w). If u, v, w are positive, then at most one of (u+v-w), (u-v+w), (-u+v+w) is negative. In that case uvw ≥ (-u+v+w)(u-v+w)(u+v-w) is trivially true. So it holds for all positive u, v, w. Expanding, we get u3 + v3 + w3 + 3uvw ≥ uv(u+v) + vw(v+w) + wu(w+u), which is a fairly well-known inequality. Applying AM/GM to u+v etc we get, u3 + v3 + w3 + 3uvw ≥ 2(uv)3/2 + 2(vw)3/2 + 2(wu)3/2. Finally, putting u = x2/3, v = y2/3, w = z2/3, we get x2 + y2 + z2 + 3(xyz)2/3 ≥ 2(xy + yz + zx) (**).
Thus we have x2y2z2 + x2 + y2 + z2 + 2 ≥ ≥ (x2 + y2 + z2) + 3(xyz)2/3, by applying AM/GM to x2y2z2, 1, 1, and now (**) gives the required (*).
Thanks to Jacob Tsimerman
© John Scholes
jscholes@kalva.demon.co.uk
27 Mar 2004
Last corrected/updated 27 Mar 04