Exercise 2161Algebra › InequalitiesOlympiadAdded 3 Nov 2026
Muirhead's inequality
#Muirhead#symmetric inequalities#majorization
Statement
Let . Using Muirhead's inequality, prove that
Hint
The LHS is a symmetric sum and the RHS is . Use the majorization criterion .
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Solution
Notation. For a symmetric sum, is the sum over all distinct permutations of divided by the number of permutations.
Majorization. because , (equality), (equality). The inequality in the first component is the strict part.
Muirhead. implies , i.e.
Multiplying by :
Conclusion. The claimed inequality holds, with equality iff .