AM-GM inequality for sum of 3 square roots

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on proving the AM-GM inequality for the sum of three square roots, specifically for positive real numbers \(a\), \(b\), and \(c\) that sum to 3. The inequality states that \( \sqrt{a} + \sqrt{b} + \sqrt{c} \geq ab + bc + ca \). The proof provided utilizes algebraic manipulation and properties of inequalities to establish the validity of this statement definitively.

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  • Understanding of the AM-GM inequality
  • Familiarity with algebraic manipulation
  • Knowledge of properties of real numbers
  • Basic grasp of inequalities in mathematics
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  • Study the proof techniques for the AM-GM inequality
  • Explore applications of inequalities in optimization problems
  • Learn about symmetric sums and their properties
  • Investigate other inequalities such as Cauchy-Schwarz and Jensen's inequality
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Mathematicians, students studying inequalities, and anyone interested in advanced algebraic concepts will benefit from this discussion.

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Let $a,b,c$ be positive real numbers with sum $3$.
Prove that $√a+√b+√c≥ab+bc+ca$.
 
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Here is my proof
Since $a, b$ and $c$ are positive we can let $a \to a^2, b \to b^2$ and $c \to c^2$ so we want to prove that

$a + b + c \ge a^2b^2 + b^2c^2 + a^2c^2$ if $a^2+b^2+c^2 = 3$

Consider $f(x) = x^4 -3x^2+2x$. It's fairly easy to show that $f(x) \ge 0$ if $x \ge 0.$

Thus, $f(a)+f(b)+f(c) \ge 0$ or

$a^4+b^4+c^4 - 3(a^2+b^2+c^2) + 2(a+b+c) \ge 0$ or re-writing

$a^4+b^4+c^4 + 2(a+b+c) \ge 3(a^2+b^2+c^2)$

so

$a^4+b^4+c^4 + 2(a+b+c) \ge (a^2+b^2+c^2)^2$ since $a^2+b^2+c^2 = 3$.

Expanding gives the desired result.
 

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