The love makes us stronger Vo Quoc Ba Can - Pham Thi Hang

Problem 1 Let a, b, c be the sidelengths of a triangle. Prove that

16abc 3a3 16abc 3b3 16abc 3c3

+ + 21( a + b + c).
( b c )2 ( c a )2 ( a b )2
(Vo Quoc Ba Can)

Solution. Since
16abc 3a3 22abc 3a( a2 + b2 + c2 )
3a = ,
( b c )2 ( b c )2 ( b c )2
we can rewrite our inequality as

1 a
22abc∑ 3( a2 + b2 + c2 ) ∑ 18( a + b + c).
cyc ( b c )2 cyc ( b c )2

Moreover, it is easy to find that

1 ( a2 + b2 + c2 ab bc ca)2
∑ (b c )2
=
( a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
,
cyc

and
( a2 + b2 + c2 ab bc ca) ∑ a( a b)( a c)
a cyc
∑ (b c )2
=
(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
.
cyc

Therefore, the original inequality is equivalent to

!2 ! !" #
22abc ∑ a2 ∑ ab 3 ∑ a2 ∑ a2 ∑ ab ∑ a( a b)( a c)
cyc cyc cyc cyc cyc cyc
18∑ a.
(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2 cyc

Now, by substituting a = y + z, b = z + x, c = x + y where x, y, z 0 and normalizing for

x + y + z = 1, xy + yz + zx = q, xyz = r, we can easily find that
!2
22abc ∑a 2
∑ab = 22(q r )(1 3q)2 ,
cyc cyc
! !" #
3 ∑a 2
∑a 2
∑ab ∑ a( a b)( a c) = 6(1 q)(1 3q)(q 9r ),
cyc cyc cyc cyc

(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2 = q2 4q3 + 2(9q 2)r 27r2 ,

∑a = 2.
cyc

Thus, our inequality can be rewritten as

h i
11(q r )(1 3q)2 3(1 q)(1 3q)(q 9r ) 18 q2 4q3 + 2(9q 2)r 27r2 ,

1
The love makes us stronger Vo Quoc Ba Can - Pham Thi Hang

or equivalently,
243r2 + (44 183q 9q2 )r + q(9q 2)2 0.
Now, applying AM GM Inequality, we have 81r2 + q2 (9q 2)2 18q(9q 2)r, which yields that

243r2 54q(9q 2)r 3q2 (9q 2)2 .

Using this inequality, we can reduce our inequality to

44 291q + 477q2 r + q(1 3q)(9q 2)2 0,

or h i
(1 3q) (44 159q)r + q(9q 2)2 0.
q2
If 44 159q, the inequality is trivial. Otherwise, if 159q 44, then since r 3, we have

q2 4
(44 159q)r + q(9q 2)2 (44 159q) + q(9q 2)2 = q (1 3q)(3 7q) 0.
3 3
This completes our proof. Equality holds if and only if ( a, b, c) (1, 2, 3) and their cyclic permuta-
tions.

Remark 2 How can we find out the following identities

1 ( a2 + b2 + c2 ab bc ca)2
∑ (b c )2
=
( a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
,
cyc

and
( a2 + b2 + c2 ab bc ca) ∑ a( a b)( a c)
a cyc
∑ (b c )2
=
(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
?
cyc

The rest is very easy. We have mn + np + pm = 0 for m = ( a b)( a c ), n = ( b c)(b a ), p =

(c a)(c b). Therefore

1 m2 + n2 + p2 m2 + n2 + p2 + 2(mn + np + pm)
∑ (b c )2
=
(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
=
( a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
cyc

( m + n + p )2 ( a2 + b2 + c2 ab bc ca)2
= = .
(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2 ( a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2

Also, as ∑ (b + c a)( a b)( a c)(b c)2 = 0, we have

cyc
h i
∑ a( a b )2 ( a c )2 = ∑ a( a b )2 ( a c )2 + ( b + c a)( a b)( a c)(b c )2
cyc cyc
" #
= ∑( a b)( a c) ∑ a( a b)( a c)
cyc cyc

= ( a2 + b2 + c2 ab bc ca)∑ a( a b)( a c ).
cyc

2
The love makes us stronger Vo Quoc Ba Can - Pham Thi Hang

And it follows that

∑ a( a b )2 ( a c )2 ( a2 + b2 + c2 ab bc ca) ∑ a( a b)( a c)
a cyc cyc
∑ (b c )2
=
(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
=
(a b )2 ( b c )2 ( c a )2
.
cyc

Remark 3 The facts ∑ (b c )2 ( a b)( a c) = 0 (which is equivalent to mn + np + pm = 0) and

cyc
∑ (b + c a)( a b)( a c)(b c)2 = 0 are very useful for us in solving inequality, especially for the
cyc
"Vornicu Schur method". In addition, they can also help us solve some olympiad inequalities, for example,
the IMO 2008 Inequality:
2 2 2
a b c
+ + 1.
a b b c c a
We can prove this using the fact mn + np + pm = 0 as above. Indeed, according to Cauchy Schwarz
Inequality, we see that
" #" # " #2 !2
a2
∑ (a b )2 ∑( a b )2 ( a c )2 ∑ a( a c) = ∑a2 ∑ab
cyc cyc cyc cyc cyc
" #2
= ∑( a b)( a c) .
cyc

Moreover, with mn + np + pm = 0, we have

" #2
∑( a b)( a c) = ∑( a b )2 ( a c )2 ,
cyc cyc

and therefore
a2
∑ (a b )2
1,
cyc

which is just the desired inequality.

Another good example is the IMO 1983 Inequality, which stated that:
"If a, b, c are the sidelengths of a triangle, then a2 b( a b) + b2 c(b c ) + c2 a ( c a) 0."
The readers can try it!