N N N N: Typeset by AMS-TEX

POLYA SEMINAR WEEK 4: ANALYSIS AND INEQUALITIES
K. Soundararajan and Ravi Vakil
The Rules. There are too many problems to consider. Pick a few problems that
you find fun, and play around with them. The only rule is that you may not pick
a problem that you already know how to solve: where’s the fun in that?
General problem solving strategies. Try small cases; plug in smaller numbers.
Search for a pattern. Draw pictures. Choose effective notation. Work in groups.
Divide into cases. Look for symmetry. Work backwards. Argue by contradiction.
Parity? Pigeonhole? Induction? Generalize the problem, sometimes that makes it
easier. Be flexible: consider many possible approaches before committing to one.
Be stubborn: don’t give up if your approach doesn’t work in five minutes. Ask.
Eat pizza, have fun!
1. (Larson 7.4.6) Find all positive integers n such that 3n + 4n + . . . + (n + 2)n =
(n + 3)n .
2. For all positive real numbers a, b, and c show that
aa bb cc ≥ ab bc ca .
3. Prove that for all n ≥ 1

n n n + 1 n+1
e ≤ n! ≤ e .
e e
4. Let x1 , . . . , xn be positive real numbers, and write (x − x1 ) · · · (x − xn ) =

xn + a1 xn−1 + . . . + an . Show that for 1 ≤ i ≤ n
|a | 1i
i
n

i
is decreasing (precisely, non-increasing).

Pn
5. Suppose that p1 , . . . , pn are non-negative real numbers such that i=1 pi = 1.
Prove that
Xn
−pi log pi ≤ log n.
i=1
6. (Larson 6.4.6) A triangle has angles α, β and γ. Prove that

√
3 3
−2 ≤ sin(3α) + sin(3β) + sin(3γ) ≤ .
2
Typeset by AMS-TEX
1
2 K. SOUNDARARAJAN AND RAVI VAKIL
7. (Larson 7.4.23) If a, b, c are the lengths of the sides of a triangle then show that
3 a b c
≤ + + ≤ 2.
2 b+c c+a a+b
8. (Larson 7.4.22) Show that if a, b, c are positive numbers with a + b + c = 1 then

1 2 1 2 1 2 100
a+ + b+ + c+ ≥ .
a b c 3
9. (Putnam 2003, A2) Let a1 , . . . , an , and b1 , . . . , bn be non-negative real numbers.

Show that
(a1 · · · an )1/n + (b1 · · · bn )1/n ≤ ((a1 + b1 )(a2 + b2 ) · · · (an + bn ))1/n .
10. (IMO 1997) Find all pairs (a, b) of integers a, b ≥ 1 such that
2
a b = ba .
11. (From Apoorva Khare) Let f ∈ R[x] be a polynomial with real coefficients such
that f (x) ≥ f 0 (x) for all x. Show that f (x) ≥ 0 for all x.
12. Let P : R → R be a polynomial of one variable. What are the possible images
of P ? Let now P : R2 → R be a polynomial of two variables. Is it possible for the
image of P to be the (0, ∞)?
13. Let α be a real number such that 1α , 2α , . . . are all natural numbers. Show
that α is a non-negative integer.
14. Among the numbers 2n with 1 ≤ n ≤ 106 how many begin with the leading
digit 1?
15. (From Boris Perkhounkov) Let
∞ ∞
X sin(2n x) X sin(3n x)
f (x) = and g(x) = .
n=0
2n n=0
3n
Compute (or prove that the limit does not exist)
f (x)
lim .
x→0 g(x)
Extra problems.
16. (1992 B3) For any pair (x, y) of real numbers, a sequence (an (x, y)) (n ≥ 0) is
defined as follows: a0 (x, y) = x, and for n ≥ 0
(an (x, y))2 + y 2

an+1 (x, y) = .
2
Find the area of the region of points (x, y) for which an (x, y) converges.
POLYA SEMINAR WEEK 4: ANALYSIS AND INEQUALITIES 3
17. (2006 B6) Let k ≥ 1 be an integer. Let a0 > 0 and define for n ≥ 0
1
an+1 = an + 1/k
.
an
Evaluate
ak+1
lim n .
n→∞ nk
18. Prove that

∞
X e−j j j−1
= 1.
j=1
j!
19. Let 1 < a1 ≤ a2 ≤ . . . ≤ an be integers with
1 1
+ ... + = 1.
a1 an
Show that an < 2n! . Harder problem – an is bounded by the n-th term of Sylvester’s
sequence 2, 3, 7, 43, . . . where each term is obtained by multiplying all previous
terms and adding 1.
p
20. Let n ≥ 2 be an integer. If k 2 + k + n is a prime for all 0 ≤ k ≤ n/3 then
prove that k 2 + k + n is prime for all 0 ≤ k ≤ n − 2.
21. (2012 B3) A round-robin tournament of 2n teams lasted for 2n − 1 days, as
follows. On each day, every team played one game against another team, with one
team winning and one team losing in each of the n games. Over the course of the
tournament, each team played every other team exactly once. Can one necessarily
choose one winning team from each day without choosing any team more than
once?
22. Among the numbers 2n which leading digit appears more frequently 7 or 8?
23. (IMO 2012) Let n ≥ 3 be an integer, and let a2 , a3 , . . . , an be positive real
numbers with a2 a3 · · · an = 1. Prove that
(1 + a2 )2 (1 + a3 )3 · · · (1 + an )n > nn .
24. (From Boris Perkhounkov) Compute the area of the region
R = {(x, y) ∈ R2 : |x cos n + y sin n| ≤ 1 for all n}.
Variant: Compute the area of the region

p
2
R = {(x, y) ∈ R : |x cos n + y sin n| ≤ 4 cos2 n + sin2 n for all n}.
25. (From Morris Ang) Let N denote the set of positive integers and let f : N → N
be a function. Let f n (m) denote f (f (· · · f (m) · · · )) (iterated n times). Suppose
that f satisfies the following two properties:
(i) if m and n are positive integers then (f n (m) − m)/n is a positive integer.
(ii) Only finitely many positive integers are not in the range of f .
Prove that the sequence f (n) − n is periodic.

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POLYA SEMINAR WEEK 4: ANALYSIS AND INEQUALITIES

K. Soundararajan and Ravi Vakil

3. Prove that for all n ≥ 1

4. Let x1 , . . . , xn be positive real numbers, and write (x − x1 ) · · · (x − xn ) =

is decreasing (precisely, non-increasing).

6. (Larson 6.4.6) A triangle has angles α, β and γ. Prove that

8. (Larson 7.4.22) Show that if a, b, c are positive numbers with a + b + c = 1 then

9. (Putnam 2003, A2) Let a1 , . . . , an , and b1 , . . . , bn be non-negative real numbers.

(a1 · · · an )1/n + (b1 · · · bn )1/n ≤ ((a1 + b1 )(a2 + b2 ) · · · (an + bn ))1/n .

Compute (or prove that the limit does not exist)

(an (x, y))2 + y 2

18. Prove that

19. Let 1 < a1 ≤ a2 ≤ . . . ≤ an be integers with

24. (From Boris Perkhounkov) Compute the area of the region

R = {(x, y) ∈ R2 : |x cos n + y sin n| ≤ 1 for all n}.

Variant: Compute the area of the region

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