MathDB
Tricky Algebra

Source: 16th XMO P1

June 20, 2024
inequalities

Problem Statement

Let a1,a2,,an0.a_1,a_2,\ldots ,a_n\ge 0. For all 1kn1\le k\le n define bk:=min1i<jn,ji22akaiaj.b_k:=\min_{1\le i<j\le n,j-i\le 2}|2a_k-a_i-a_j|. Here the index mod n.n. Find the maximum value of b1+b2++bna1+a2++an.\frac{b_1+b_2+\cdots +b_n}{a_1+a_2+\cdots +a_n}. Proposed by Zheng Wang