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Author Topic:   Math proof... any idea?
teen4christ
Member (Idle past 5830 days)
Posts: 238
Joined: 01-15-2008


Message 1 of 10 (463341)
04-15-2008 2:06 PM


Someone asked me for help on proving this apparently simple algebraic problem. After doodling with it for several days, I still can't figure out a way to prove it. I'm sure it's simple, I just can't wrap my fingers around it. Any idea?
Prove that ((a+b)^2)/(4*a*b) > 1
I've plugged in numbers and numbers and they all came up to be greater than 1. But how do you go about proving this? I'm going crazy over this.

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by kjsimons, posted 04-15-2008 2:25 PM teen4christ has replied
 Message 3 by PaulK, posted 04-15-2008 2:34 PM teen4christ has not replied
 Message 4 by dwise1, posted 04-15-2008 2:37 PM teen4christ has not replied
 Message 6 by NosyNed, posted 04-15-2008 2:50 PM teen4christ has not replied
 Message 9 by NosyNed, posted 04-15-2008 3:03 PM teen4christ has not replied

  
teen4christ
Member (Idle past 5830 days)
Posts: 238
Joined: 01-15-2008


Message 5 of 10 (463351)
04-15-2008 2:38 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by kjsimons
04-15-2008 2:25 PM


Sorry, I left out something. Both a and b are positive reals.

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 Message 2 by kjsimons, posted 04-15-2008 2:25 PM kjsimons has not replied

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 Message 7 by dwise1, posted 04-15-2008 2:51 PM teen4christ has not replied

  
teen4christ
Member (Idle past 5830 days)
Posts: 238
Joined: 01-15-2008


Message 8 of 10 (463356)
04-15-2008 2:52 PM


I figured it out.
(a+b)^2 <= 4ab
a^2+2ab+b^2 <= 4ab
a^2-2ab+b^2 <= 0
(a-b)^2 <= 0 NOT TRUE!!!
Therefore, since (a-b)^2 > 0 always, (a+b)^2 > 4ab.

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Chiroptera, posted 04-15-2008 3:23 PM teen4christ has not replied

  
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