Exercise 2164Algebra › InequalitiesOlympiadAdded 3 Nov 2026
Sum of squares decomposition
#SOS#sum of squares#factorization
Statement
Show that
for all .
Hint
Divide by (if ) and use sum of ratios.
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Solution
Case . If, say, , then the LHS is and the RHS is . Inequality holds.
Case . Divide by :
Substitution. Let , , . Then . Hmm, this is not obviously simpler.
Direct approach. By AM-GM, , etc. Summing gives . So .
Conclusion. The inequality holds, with equality iff .
Remark. This is a nice AM-GM application: pair terms and bound by product.