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k a May Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
May 1, 2025
May is an exciting month! National MATHCOUNTS is the second week of May in Washington D.C. and our Founder, Richard Rusczyk will be presenting a seminar, Preparing Strong Math Students for College and Careers, on May 11th.

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0 replies
jlacosta
May 1, 2025
0 replies
2025 OMOUS Problem 4
enter16180   2
N an hour ago by Acridian9
Source: Open Mathematical Olympiad for University Students (OMOUS-2025)
Find all matrices $M \in M_{n}(\mathbb{C})$ such that following equality holds

$$
\operatorname{rank}(M)+\operatorname{rank}\left(M^{2023}-M^{2025}\right)=\operatorname{rank}\left(M-M^{2}\right)+\operatorname{rank}\left(M^{2023}+M^{2024}\right)
$$
2 replies
1 viewing
enter16180
Apr 18, 2025
Acridian9
an hour ago
Determinant is 1
Entrepreneur   1
N 2 hours ago by Etkan
If a determinant is of $n^{\text{th}}$ order, and if the constituents of its first, second, ..., $n^{\text{th}}$ rows are the first $n$ figurate numbers of the first, second, ..., $n^{\text{th}}$ orders respectively, show that it's value is $1.$
1 reply
Entrepreneur
3 hours ago
Etkan
2 hours ago
Poker hand
Aksudon   1
N 3 hours ago by lucaminiati
Problem: In a standard 52-card deck, how many different five-card poker hands are there of 'two pairs'?

Can someone please explain what is logically wrong with the following solution? (It gives double of the right solution which supposed to be 123552).

13\binom{4}{2}*12\binom{4}{2}*44=247104

Thanks
1 reply
Aksudon
5 hours ago
lucaminiati
3 hours ago
Sequence with GCD involved
mathematics2004   3
N 4 hours ago by anudeep
Source: 2021 Simon Marais, A2
Define the sequence of integers $a_1, a_2, a_3, \ldots$ by $a_1 = 1$, and
\[ a_{n+1} = \left(n+1-\gcd(a_n,n) \right) \times a_n \]for all integers $n \ge 1$.
Prove that $\frac{a_{n+1}}{a_n}=n$ if and only if $n$ is prime or $n=1$.
Here $\gcd(s,t)$ denotes the greatest common divisor of $s$ and $t$.
3 replies
mathematics2004
Nov 2, 2021
anudeep
4 hours ago
No more topics!
Binomial inequality
Snoop76   10
N Apr 3, 2025 by Snoop76
Is it true? $$\sum_{k=0}^n (2k-1)!!{n\choose k} >\left(\frac{2n}{e}\right)^n\sqrt{2e}$$
10 replies
Snoop76
Feb 2, 2025
Snoop76
Apr 3, 2025
Binomial inequality
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Snoop76
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#1
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Is it true? $$\sum_{k=0}^n (2k-1)!!{n\choose k} >\left(\frac{2n}{e}\right)^n\sqrt{2e}$$
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Mathzeus1024
862 posts
#2
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Let us use induction to prove this inequality is true for all $n \in \mathbb{N}$:

CASE I ($n=1$):

$\sum_{j=0}^{1}(2j-1)!! {1 \choose j} > \frac{2}{e}\sqrt{2e} \Rightarrow 2 > 2\sqrt{\frac{2}{e}} \Rightarrow$ TRUE.


CASE II ($n=k$):

$\sum_{j=0}^{k}(2j-1)!! {k \choose j} > \left(\frac{2k}{e}\right)^{k}\sqrt{2e} \Rightarrow$ ASSUME TRUE.


CASE III ($n=k+1$):

Making the Stirling Approx substitution $n! = \sqrt{2\pi n}\left(\frac{n}{e}\right)^n$ yields:

$\sum_{j=0}^{k}(2j-1)!! {k \choose j} > \frac{2^{k}k!}{\sqrt{2\pi k}} \cdot \sqrt{2e}$;

or $\frac{2(k+1)}{\sqrt{(k+1)/k}} \cdot \sum_{j=0}^{k}(2j-1)!! {k \choose j} > \frac{2^{k}k!}{\sqrt{2\pi k}} \cdot \frac{2(k+1)}{\sqrt{(k+1)/k}} \cdot \sqrt{2e}$;

or $\frac{\sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j}}{\sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j}} \cdot \left[                                                  \frac{2(k+1)}{\sqrt{(k+1)/k}} \cdot \sum_{j=0}^{k}(2j-1)!! {k \choose j} \right]> \frac{2^{k+1}(k+1)!}{\sqrt{2\pi (k+1)}} \cdot \sqrt{2e}$;

or $\sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j} \cdot \left[2\sqrt{k(k+1)} \cdot \frac{\sum_{j=0}^{k}(2j-1)!! {k \choose j}}{\sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j}}\right]> \frac{2^{k+1}(k+1)!}{\sqrt{2\pi (k+1)}} \cdot \sqrt{2e}$;

or $\sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j} > \sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j} \cdot \left[2\sqrt{k(k+1)} \cdot \frac{\sum_{j=0}^{k}(2j-1)!! {k \choose j}}{\sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j}}\right] > \left[ 
             \frac{2(k+1)}   {e} \right]^{k+1} \cdot \sqrt{2e}$;

or $\sum_{j=0}^{k+1}(2j-1)!! {k+1 \choose j} > \left[\frac{2(k+1)}   {e} \right]^{k+1} \cdot \sqrt{2e} \Rightarrow$ TRUE.
This post has been edited 10 times. Last edited by Mathzeus1024, Feb 6, 2025, 10:30 AM
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Snoop76
323 posts
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Very good ! for CASE I and CASE II in your demonstration.
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Snoop76
323 posts
#4
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$\frac{2(k+1)}{\sqrt{(k+1)/k}}$ $ $ is not $ $ $2\sqrt{\frac{k}{k+1}}$
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Mathzeus1024
862 posts
#6
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Snoop76 wrote:
$\frac{2(k+1)}{\sqrt{(k+1)/k}}$ $ $ is not $ $ $2\sqrt{\frac{k}{k+1}}$

Correction made above.
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Snoop76
323 posts
#7 • 1 Y
Y by Filipjack
This is not a valid proof. You've just copying a crap of chatgpt. Somebody from stuff need to report this user.
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Etkan
1564 posts
#8 • 2 Y
Y by anduran, smartvong
Snoop76 wrote:
This is not a valid proof. You've just copying a crap of chatgpt. Somebody from stuff need to report this user.

No. Zeus is a legitimate user, and has the right to be wrong (as well as everyone else).
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Snoop76
323 posts
#9 • 1 Y
Y by Filipjack
Ok but this AI generated "demonstrations" shoud be verified when you use them dozens of time.
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Mathzeus1024
862 posts
#10
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Snoop76 wrote:
This is not a valid proof. You've just copying a crap of chatgpt. Somebody from stuff need to report this user.

Excuse me, Sir or Ma'am. If you have a different solution that does not involve induction (which is a viable tool in Discrete Math), then please share it with the AoPS Community at large.

For the record, I am a retired Principal Engineer from Microsoft, and I do not appreciate the accusation above.

Good day.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by Mathzeus1024, Feb 7, 2025, 2:15 PM
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Snoop76
323 posts
#11
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Hint: $\displaystyle\int_0^\infty \frac{e^{-t/2}(1+t)^{n}}{\sqrt{t}}\,dt =\sqrt{2\pi}(2n-1)!!>\left(\frac{2n}{e}\right)^n2\sqrt{\pi}\sqrt\frac{n}{n+1/2}$
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Snoop76
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For the left part we use the $\frac{(2n-1)!!}{(2n)!!} \leq\frac{(2k-1)!!}{(2k)!!}$ inequality for $k \leq n$.

So we have $ $ $\sum_{k=0}^n (2k-1)!!{n\choose k}>\sum_{k=0}^n \frac{(2k)!!}{(2n)!!}{n\choose k}(2n-1)!!=\sum_{k=0}^n \frac{1}{2^k\cdot k!}(2n-1)!!$.

using $\sum_{k=0}^n \frac{1}{2^k\cdot k!}>\sqrt{e}- \frac{1}{2^n\cdot n!}$ inequality from $\sqrt{e}$ expansion results:

$\sum_{k=0}^n (2k-1)!!{n\choose k}>\left(\sqrt{e}- \frac{1}{2^n\cdot n!}\right)(2n-1)!!$

However this inequality is too weak, so in order to get it stronger we use the summation until the term $n-2$.

$ $ $\sum_{k=0}^{n} (2k-1)!!{n\choose k}>\sum_{k=0}^{n-2} \frac{(2k)!!}{(2n)!!}{n\choose k}(2n-1)!!+\sum_{k=n-1}^{n} (2k-1)!!{n\choose k}$ or

$\sum_{k=0}^{n} (2k-1)!!{n\choose k}>\sum_{k=0}^n \frac{1}{2^k\cdot k!}(2n-1)!!-\frac 3 2(2n-1)!!+n(2n-3)!!+(2n-1)!!$ or

$\sum_{k=0}^{n} (2k-1)!!{n\choose k}>(2n-1)!!\left(\sqrt{e}- \frac{1}{2^n\cdot n!}-\frac 1 2+\frac{n}{2n-1}\right)$

For the right part we create a stronger inequality as well, wich includes the term $(2n-1)!!$.

We use here the Robbins inequality: $\mathrm e^{1/(12n+1)} \leq \frac{n!}{\sqrt{2\pi n}\cdot(\frac n{\mathrm e})^n} \leq \mathrm e^{1/(12n)}$ (Stirling's formula with two terms, see Wikipedia).

$(2n-1)!!=\frac{(2n)!}{2^n \cdot n!}=\sqrt{2} \cdot \left(\frac{2n}{e}\right)^n\left(1-\frac 1 {24n}+O(n)\right)$ and using $\frac 1 {12n}>\frac 1 {24n}$ results:

$\sqrt{e}(2n-1)!!\left(1+\frac 1 {12n}\right)>\sqrt{2e}\left(\frac{2n}{e}\right)^n$

Now we only have to prove that:

$(2n-1)!!\left(\sqrt{e}- \frac{1}{2^n\cdot n!}-\frac 1 2+\frac{n}{2n-1}\right)>\sqrt{e}(2n-1)!!\left(1+\frac 1 {12n}\right)$ wich is true after a few calculations ( for $n>2$).
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