Applied Mathematics Letters 23 (2010) 331–336

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Applied Mathematics Letters

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aml

Parametrized Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality and improved

Finsler–Hadwiger inequality
Shanhe Wu a , Lokenath Debnath b,∗
a
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Longyan University, Longyan, Fujian 364012, PR China
b
Department of Mathematics, University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA

article info abstract

Article history: This paper deals with a new generalization of the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality by
Received 28 July 2009 introducing a parameter, which relaxes the conditions of the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality.
Accepted 29 September 2009 As applications, an improved version of the Finsler–Hadwiger inequality is obtained.
© 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality
Finsler–Hadwiger inequality
Trigonometric inequality
Generalization
Improvement

1. Introduction
P Q
Throughout
P the paper we use the notations and to express the cyclic sum and cyclic product respectively, for
f (A) = f (A) + f (B) + f (C ), f (A) = f (A)f (B)f (C ).
Q
example:
Garfunkel [1] proposed the following inequality as an open problem:
Let A, B, C be angles of an arbitrary triangle. Prove or disprove the inequality
X A Y A
tan2 ≥2−8 sin . (1)
2 2
Inequality (1) was first proved by Bankoff in [2]. In the years thereafter, this inequality has received considerable attention
from researchers in the field of geometrical inequalities, and has motivated a number of research papers giving their simple
proofs providing various generalizations, improvements and analogues (see [3–8] and the references therein).
In this paper, we show a new generalization of the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality under the weak constraint condition
A + B + C = θ (0 < θ ≤ π ). Moreover, we provide an application of the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality to improve the well
known Finsler–Hadwiger inequality.

2. Lemmas

In order to prove the main results in Sections 3 and 4, we first introduce the following lemmas:

∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: wushanhe@yahoo.com.cn (S. Wu), debnathl@utpa.edu (L. Debnath).

0893-9659/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.aml.2009.09.029
332 S. Wu, L. Debnath / Applied Mathematics Letters 23 (2010) 331–336

Lemma 1 (See Wu and Debnath [9]). Let x, y, z, A, B, C be real numbers with A + B + C = θ , 0 < θ ≤ π . Then

θ
x2 + y2 + z 2 ≥ (yz cos A + zx cos B + xy cos C ) sec . (2)
3
Equality holds in (2) if and only if x = y = z and A = B = C for the case of 0 < θ < π , or x/ sin A = y/ sin B = z / sin C
for the case of θ = π .

Lemma 2. Let A, B, C be real numbers with A + B + C = θ . Then the following identities are valid:
X Y θ −A
cos A = − cos θ + 4 cos , (3)
2
X Y
sin 2A = sin 2θ + 4 sin(θ − A), (4)

where the sum and product are cyclic over A, B, C .

Proof. It follows from the transformation formula for the product and sum of trigonometric functions that
X
cos A = (cos A + cos B) + (cos C + cos θ ) − cos θ
A+B A−B θ +C θ −C
= 2 cos cos + 2 cos cos − cos θ
2  2 2  2
θ −C A−B θ +C
= 2 cos cos + cos − cos θ
2 2 2
θ −A θ −B θ −C
= 4 cos cos cos − cos θ .
X 2 2 2
sin 2A = (sin 2A + sin 2B) + (sin 2C − sin 2θ) + sin 2θ
= 2 sin(A + B) cos(A − B) + 2 cos(C + θ ) sin(C − θ ) + sin 2θ
= 2 sin(θ − C ) [cos(A − B) − cos(C + θ )] + sin 2θ
= 4 sin(θ − A) sin(θ − B) sin(θ − C ) + sin 2θ .
The Lemma 2 is proved. 

Lemma 3. Let A, B, C be positive real numbers with A + B + C = θ , 0 < θ ≤ π . Then

θ −A θ −B θ −C θ
sin sin sin ≤ sin3 , (5)
2 2 2 3
with equality holding if and only if A = B = C .

θ −A θ −B θ −C θ
 
1
cos cos cos > cos θ + sin 2
. (6)
2 2 2 2 2

Proof. Since f (x) = sin x is a continuous and concave function defined on [0, π]; using the arithmetic–geometric means
inequality and the Jensen inequality, respectively, we obtain

θ −A θ −B θ −C θ −A θ −B θ −C
 3
1
sin sin sin ≤ sin + sin + sin
2 2 2 27 2 2 2
(θ − A)/2 + (θ − B)/2 + (θ − C )/2
 3
≤ sin
3
θ
= sin3 .
3
Inequality (5) is proved.
Without loss of generality, we can assume that A ≥ B ≥ C . This implies that 0 < θ−
2
A
≤ θ3 ≤ π3 , 0 < θ−2 B < θ2 ,
0 < θ−2 C < θ2 , hence, we have

θ −A θ −B θ −C θ θ
 
1 1
cos cos cos > cos 2
= cos θ + sin 2
,
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
which proves the desired inequality (6). Thus, the proof of Lemma 3 is complete. 
 S. Wu, L. Debnath / Applied Mathematics Letters 23 (2010) 331–336 333

Lemma 4 (See Hardy et al. [10]). Let x1 , x2 , . . . , xn be nonnegative numbers, and p ≥ 1. Then
!p
n
X n
X
p
xi ≥ n1− p xi , (7)
i =1 i =1

with equality holding if and only if x1 = x2 = · · · = xn or p = 1. Moreover,

(x1 + x2 )p ≥ xp1 + xp2 , (8)

with equality holding if and only if x1 = 0 or x2 = 0 or p = 1.

3. Main result

Theorem 1. Let A, B, C be positive real numbers with A + B + C = θ , 0 < θ ≤ π . Then

X θ −A θ θ θ 2θ Y θ −A
cot2 ≥ −3 cos θ csc cot + 12 csc cot cos , (9)
2 3 3 3 3 2
where the sum and product are cyclic over A, B, C , equality holds in (9) if and only if A = B = C .
Proof. Putting x = cot θ−
2
A
, y = cot θ−2 B , z = cot θ−2 C in inequality (2) together with direct computation, it follows that
θX θ −A X θ −B θ −C
cos cot2 ≥ cot cot cos A
3 2 2 2
X θ −B θ −C
X 
= cos A + cot cot − 1 cos A
2 2
X X θ −B θ −C θ +A
= cos A + csc csc cos cos A
2
 X2 2
θ −A θ −A θ +A
X Y
= cos A + csc sin cos cos A
2 2 2
θ −A X
 Y
X 1
= cos A + csc (sin θ − sin A) cos A
2 2
θ − A X θ − A X
   1 Y 
1 Y 
= 1 + sin θ csc cos A − csc sin 2A .
2 2 4 2
We apply identities (3) and (4) to the above inequality to show that
θX θ −A
cos cot2
3 2
θ −A θ −A θ −A 
    
1 Y Y 1 Y Y 
≥ 1 + sin θ csc − cos θ + 4 cos − csc sin 2θ + 4 sin(θ − A)
2 2 2 4 2
θ −A θ −A θ −A
Y  Y  Y  
1
= − cos θ − 4 cos + 2 sin θ csc cos − cos θ .
2 2 2 2
We next use inequalities (5) and (6) to the above inequality to prove that
θX θ −A θ −A θ θ −A
Y  Y  
1
cos cot 2
≥ − cos θ − 4 cos + 2 sin θ csc 3
cos − cos θ
3 2 2 3 2 2
θ θ θ θ 2θ θ Y θ −A
= −3 cos θ csc cot cos + 12 csc cot cos cos .
3 3 3 3 3 3 2
This leads to the desired inequality (9). The condition of equality in (9) follows from Lemmas 1 and 3. This completes the
proof of Theorem 1.
We next derive several corollaries of Theorem 1. 

Corollary 1. Let A, B, C be positive real numbers with A + B + C = θ , 0 < θ ≤ π . Then

X θ −A Y θ −A
cot2 ≥2−8 cos , (10)
2 2
with equality holding if and only if θ = π and A = B = C = π /3.
334 S. Wu, L. Debnath / Applied Mathematics Letters 23 (2010) 331–336

Proof. By Theorem 1, we have

X θ −A θ θ θ 2θ Y θ −A
cot2 ≥ −3 cos θ csc cot + 12 csc cot cos (11)
2 3 3 3 3 2
Using inequality (6), we find that
θ θθ 2θ Y θ −A
−3 cos θ csc + 12 csc cot
cot cos
3 3
3 3 2
θ θ Y θ −A θ θ θ −A
 Y  
1
= − cos θ sec − 4 sec cos + 2 sin θ csc3 sec cos − cos θ ,
3 3 2 3 3 2 2
θ θ Y θ −A θ θ θ
 
≥ − cos θ sec − 4 sec cos + sin θ csc3 sec sin2
3 3 2 3 3 2
θ Y θ −A θ θ θ θ θ
   
= 2 − 4 sec cos + sin θ csc 3
sec sin 2
− sin2
cos
3 2 3 3 2 3 3
θ θ −A
Y 
≥ 2 − 4 sec cos
3 2
Y θ −A
≥2−8 cos .
2
Combining inequality (11) and the above inequality leads to the desired inequality (10). 

Corollary 2. Let A, B, C be positive real numbers and A + B + C = π . Then

X 1 + sin(A/2)  √ X A
≥ 2 3 cos , (12)
1 − sin(A/2) 2
X 1 − sin(A/2) X A
≥4−2 sin , (13)
1 + sin(A/2) 2
with equality holding if and only if A = B = C = π /3.
π
Proof. Applying Theorem 1 with a substitution A → A
2
, B→ B
2
, C → C
2
, θ→ 2
in (9) gives

X π /2 − A/2  √ Y π /2 − A/2
cot2 ≥ 8 3 cos . (14)
2 2
In addition, using a substitution A → π−
2
A
, B → π−
2
B
, C → π−
2
C
, θ → π in (9) yields

X π − (π − A)/2 Y π − (π − A)/2
cot2 ≥2−8 cos . (15)
2 2
By a simple computation, inequalities (14) and (15) reduce to the desired inequalities (12) and (13) respectively.
In particular, putting θ = π in Theorem 1 (or Corollary 1), the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality is derived as follows. 

Corollary 3. For any triangle with angles A, B, C , we have the following inequality
X A Y A
tan2 ≥2−8 sin , (16)
2 2
where equality holds if and only if the triangle is equilateral.

4. Application to the improvement of the Finsler–Hadwiger inequality

Let a, b, c denote the lengths of sides of a triangle with F as its area. Then the classical Finsler–Hadwiger inequality reads
as
X √ X
a2 ≥ 4 3 F + (a − b)2 . (17)

The Finsler–Hadwiger inequality has been improved and generalized in several different directions (see [11–14]). In this
section, by means of the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality, we give a new generalized and sharpened version of the Finsler–
Hadwiger inequality.
 S. Wu, L. Debnath / Applied Mathematics Letters 23 (2010) 331–336 335

Theorem 2. Let a, b, c be the lengths of sides of triangle ABC , and let F , R, d denote respectively its area, circumradius and the
distance between circumcenter and the incenter. Then for real numbers λ ≥ 2, the following inequality is true
λ λ λ
aλ ≥ 2λ 31− 2 (3 + d2 /R2 ) 4 F 2 + | a − b| λ ,
X X
(18)

where the sum is cyclic over a, b, c, equality holds in (18) if and only if the triangle is equilateral.

Proof. Using Lemma 4, it follows that

 λ2
aλ =
X X
(b − c )2 + (c + a − b)(a + b − c )
Xh λ λ
i
≥ |b − c |λ + (c + a − b) 2 (a + b − c ) 2
λ λ
|b − c |λ +
X X
= (c + a − b) 2 (a + b − c ) 2
λ
hX i λ2
|b − c |λ + 31− 2
X
≥ (c + a − b)(a + b − c ) . (19)

Using the half-angle formula for a triangle:

A
[(c + a − b)(a + b − c )]/[(a + b + c )(b + c − a)],
p
tan =
2
we have
X A Xp
tan = [(c + a − b)(a + b − c )]/[(a + b + c )(b + c − a)]
2
(c + a − b)(a + b − c )
P
= √
(a + b + c )(b + c − a)(c + a − b)(a + b − c )
1 X
= (c + a − b)(a + b − c ),
4F
that is,
X X A
(c + a − b)(a + b − c ) = 4F tan . (20)
2
On the other hand, it follows from the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality that
X 2
A X A Y A
tan =2+ tan2 ≥4−8 sin .
2 2 2
√
We next use the known identities sin A2 = 4R r
Q
,d = R2 − 2Rr (see Mitrinović et al. [7, pp. 279], where r is the inradius
of the triangle) to the above inequality and obtain
X A p
tan ≥ 3 + d2 /R2 . (21)
2
Combining (19)–(21) leads to the inequality (18) stated in Theorem 2. The condition of equality in (18) follows from
Lemma 4 and the Garfunkel–Bankoff inequality. The proof of Theorem 2 is complete.

A special case of λ = 2 leads to the following sharpened version of the Finsler–Hadwiger inequality. 

Corollary 4. For any triangle ABC , we have the inequality

X p X
a2 ≥ 4 3 + d2 /R2 F + ( a − b) 2 . (22)

Acknowledgements

The present investigation was supported, in part, by the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian province of China under
grant No. S0850023 and, in part, by the Foundation of Scientific Research Project of Fujian Province Education Department
of China under grant No. JA08231.
336 S. Wu, L. Debnath / Applied Mathematics Letters 23 (2010) 331–336

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