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k a April Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
Yesterday at 3:18 PM
Spring is in full swing and summer is right around the corner, what are your plans? At AoPS Online our schedule has new classes starting now through July, so be sure to keep your skills sharp and be prepared for the Fall school year! Check out the schedule of upcoming classes below.

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[*]April 22nd (Webinar), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Competitive Programming at AoPS (USACO).[/list]
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0 replies
jlacosta
Yesterday at 3:18 PM
0 replies
k i Adding contests to the Contest Collections
dcouchman   1
N Apr 5, 2023 by v_Enhance
Want to help AoPS remain a valuable Olympiad resource? Help us add contests to AoPS's Contest Collections.

Find instructions and a list of contests to add here: https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c40244h1064480_contests_to_add
1 reply
dcouchman
Sep 9, 2019
v_Enhance
Apr 5, 2023
k i Zero tolerance
ZetaX   49
N May 4, 2019 by NoDealsHere
Source: Use your common sense! (enough is enough)
Some users don't want to learn, some other simply ignore advises.
But please follow the following guideline:


To make it short: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!
If you don't have common sense, don't post.


More specifically:

For new threads:


a) Good, meaningful title:
The title has to say what the problem is about in best way possible.
If that title occured already, it's definitely bad. And contest names aren't good either.
That's in fact a requirement for being able to search old problems.

Examples:
Bad titles:
- "Hard"/"Medium"/"Easy" (if you find it so cool how hard/easy it is, tell it in the post and use a title that tells us the problem)
- "Number Theory" (hey guy, guess why this forum's named that way¿ and is it the only such problem on earth¿)
- "Fibonacci" (there are millions of Fibonacci problems out there, all posted and named the same...)
- "Chinese TST 2003" (does this say anything about the problem¿)
Good titles:
- "On divisors of a³+2b³+4c³-6abc"
- "Number of solutions to x²+y²=6z²"
- "Fibonacci numbers are never squares"


b) Use search function:
Before posting a "new" problem spend at least two, better five, minutes to look if this problem was posted before. If it was, don't repost it. If you have anything important to say on topic, post it in one of the older threads.
If the thread is locked cause of this, use search function.

Update (by Amir Hossein). The best way to search for two keywords in AoPS is to input
[code]+"first keyword" +"second keyword"[/code]
so that any post containing both strings "first word" and "second form".


c) Good problem statement:
Some recent really bad post was:
[quote]$lim_{n\to 1}^{+\infty}\frac{1}{n}-lnn$[/quote]
It contains no question and no answer.
If you do this, too, you are on the best way to get your thread deleted. Write everything clearly, define where your variables come from (and define the "natural" numbers if used). Additionally read your post at least twice before submitting. After you sent it, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.


For answers to already existing threads:


d) Of any interest and with content:
Don't post things that are more trivial than completely obvious. For example, if the question is to solve $x^{3}+y^{3}=z^{3}$, do not answer with "$x=y=z=0$ is a solution" only. Either you post any kind of proof or at least something unexpected (like "$x=1337, y=481, z=42$ is the smallest solution). Someone that does not see that $x=y=z=0$ is a solution of the above without your post is completely wrong here, this is an IMO-level forum.
Similar, posting "I have solved this problem" but not posting anything else is not welcome; it even looks that you just want to show off what a genius you are.

e) Well written and checked answers:
Like c) for new threads, check your solutions at least twice for mistakes. And after sending, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.



To repeat it: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!


Everything definitely out of range of common sense will be locked or deleted (exept for new users having less than about 42 posts, they are newbies and need/get some time to learn).

The above rules will be applied from next monday (5. march of 2007).
Feel free to discuss on this here.
49 replies
ZetaX
Feb 27, 2007
NoDealsHere
May 4, 2019
Congruence
Ecrin_eren   0
8 minutes ago
Find the number of integer pairs (x, y) satisfying the congruence equation:

3y² + 3x²y + y³ ≡ 3x² (mod 41)

for 0 ≤ x, y < 41.

0 replies
1 viewing
Ecrin_eren
8 minutes ago
0 replies
Inequality
Ecrin_eren   4
N 11 minutes ago by ektorasmiliotis
If the real numbers x,y,z satisfy the equation

x^4 + y^4 + z^4 = 5

then what is the maximum possible value of the expression

3x^4 + 8xyz^2
4 replies
Ecrin_eren
2 hours ago
ektorasmiliotis
11 minutes ago
Proper sitting of Delegates
Math-Problem-Solving   0
30 minutes ago
Source: 2002 British Mathematical Olympiad Round 2
Solve this.
0 replies
Math-Problem-Solving
30 minutes ago
0 replies
$x^{y^2+1}+y^{x^2+1}=2^z$
Zahy2106   1
N 38 minutes ago by CHESSR1DER
Source: Collection
Find all $(x,y,z)\in (\mathbb{Z^+})^3$ safisty: $x^{y^2+1}+y^{x^2+1}=2^z$
1 reply
Zahy2106
Mar 25, 2025
CHESSR1DER
38 minutes ago
Olympiad Geometry problem-second time posting
kjhgyuio   6
N an hour ago by ND_
Source: smo problem
In trapezium ABCD,AD is parallel to BC and points E and F are midpoints of AB and DC respectively. If
Area of AEFD/Area of EBCF =√3 + 1/3-√3 and the area of triangle ABD is √3 .find the area of trapezium ABCD
6 replies
kjhgyuio
Yesterday at 1:03 AM
ND_
an hour ago
Inspired by Ecrin_eren
sqing   1
N an hour ago by lbh_qys
Source: Own
Let $  x ,y\geq 0 $ and $ x^2(y^2 + 9) + x^4y + 3y^2 \geq 27.$ Prove that
$$x^2 -x+ \frac{1}{2}y\geq 1$$$$x^2 -x+ \frac{1}{3}y\geq \frac{5}{8}$$$$x^2  -x+  y\geq 3-\sqrt 3$$
1 reply
sqing
2 hours ago
lbh_qys
an hour ago
The last nonzero digit of factorials
Tintarn   3
N an hour ago by MyobDoesMath
Source: Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik 2025, Round 1 - Problem 2
For each integer $n \ge 2$ we consider the last digit different from zero in the decimal expansion of $n!$. The infinite sequence of these digits starts with $2,6,4,2,2$. Determine all digits which occur at least once in this sequence, and show that each of those digits occurs in fact infinitely often.
3 replies
Tintarn
Mar 17, 2025
MyobDoesMath
an hour ago
Inequality
Ecrin_eren   2
N an hour ago by lbh_qys
For non-negative real numbers x and y , if the inequality

x^2(y^2 + 9) + x^4y + 3y^2 \geq 27

holds, what is the minimum possible value of

x^2 + y

2 replies
Ecrin_eren
2 hours ago
lbh_qys
an hour ago
Problem inequality
inversionA007   10
N an hour ago by Primeniyazidayi
Let $x>0, y>0, z>0$ and satisfy $\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{y}+\frac{1}{z}=3$. Prove that $
x^2+y^2+z^2-2 x y z \geq 1$.
10 replies
inversionA007
Jan 14, 2024
Primeniyazidayi
an hour ago
Is it boring?
FAA2533   7
N an hour ago by TheMatrix2024
Source: BdMO 2025 Secondary P2
Find all real solutions to the equation $(x^2-9x+19)^{x^2-3x+2} = 1$.
7 replies
FAA2533
Feb 8, 2025
TheMatrix2024
an hour ago
Very interesting inequalities
sqing   2
N an hour ago by sqing
Source: Own
Let $ a,b,c> 0 $ and $ab+bc+ca+abc =4. $ Prove that
$$  \frac{15}{ a+b+c}+\frac{4}{abc}   \geq  9$$
2 replies
sqing
Mar 31, 2025
sqing
an hour ago
Inequality
SunnyEvan   3
N 2 hours ago by DKI
Let $a$, $b$, $c$ be non-negative real numbers, no two of which are zero. Prove that :
$$ \sum \frac{3ab-2bc+3ca}{3b^2+bc+3c^2} \geq \frac{12}{7}$$
3 replies
SunnyEvan
Apr 1, 2025
DKI
2 hours ago
Mmo 9-10 graders P5
Bet667   3
N 2 hours ago by Quantum-Phantom
Let $a,b,c,d$ be real numbers less than 2.Then prove that $\frac{a^3}{b^2+4}+\frac{b^3}{c^2+4}+\frac{c^3}{d^2+4}+\frac{d^3}{a^2+4}\le4$
3 replies
Bet667
4 hours ago
Quantum-Phantom
2 hours ago
Easy FE; source unknown
NamelyOrange   5
N 3 hours ago by Maxificial
Find (with proof) all $f:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ such that $f(x)\ge x$ and $f(f(x)) = x$.
5 replies
NamelyOrange
Yesterday at 8:48 PM
Maxificial
3 hours ago
Cool one
MTA_2024   11
N Mar 30, 2025 by sqing
Prove that for all real numbers $a$ and $b$ verifying $a>b>0$ . $$(n+1) \cdot b^n \leq \frac{a^{n+1}-b^{n+1}}{a-b} \leq (n+1) \cdot a^n $$
11 replies
MTA_2024
Mar 15, 2025
sqing
Mar 30, 2025
Cool one
G H J
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MTA_2024
24 posts
#1 • 1 Y
Y by byron-aj-tom
Prove that for all real numbers $a$ and $b$ verifying $a>b>0$ . $$(n+1) \cdot b^n \leq \frac{a^{n+1}-b^{n+1}}{a-b} \leq (n+1) \cdot a^n $$
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vsarg
250 posts
#2
Y by
Very easy , Just use the geometric Serie Expansion

(a^(n+1) - b^(n+1)) / (a-b) = a^n + b * a^(n-1) + b^2 * a^(n-2) + ... + a * b^(n-1) + b^n

Since a > b, and Both are positive, this is > (n+1) * b^n and < (n+1) * a^n, And we are done ! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy as they say in Kentucky xD :blush:
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by vsarg, Mar 15, 2025, 10:12 PM
Reason: Many mistake for me. I edit to ffix it
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EaZ_Shadow
1154 posts
#3
Y by
vsarg wrote:
Very easy , Just use the geometric Serie Expansion

(a^(n+1) - b^(n+1)) / (a-b) = a^n + b * a^(n-1) + b^2 * a^(n-2) + ... + a * b^(n-1) + b^n

Since a > b, and Both are positive, this is > (n+1) * b^n and < (n+1) * a^n, And we are done ! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy as they say in Kentucky xD :blush:

Not valid you didnt prove.
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MTA_2024
24 posts
#4
Y by
vsarg wrote:
Very easy , Just use the geometric Serie Expansion

(a^(n+1) - b^(n+1)) / (a-b) = a^n + b * a^(n-1) + b^2 * a^(n-2) + ... + a * b^(n-1) + b^n

Since a > b, and Both are positive, this is > (n+1) * b^n and < (n+1) * a^n, And we are done ! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy as they say in Kentucky xD :blush:

EXACTLY WHY IS IT GREATER THAT $(n+1) \cdot b^n$ ?
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by MTA_2024, Mar 15, 2025, 10:42 PM
Reason: Miswriting
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no_room_for_error
326 posts
#5
Y by
EaZ_Shadow wrote:
vsarg wrote:
Very easy , Just use the geometric Serie Expansion

(a^(n+1) - b^(n+1)) / (a-b) = a^n + b * a^(n-1) + b^2 * a^(n-2) + ... + a * b^(n-1) + b^n

Since a > b, and Both are positive, this is > (n+1) * b^n and < (n+1) * a^n, And we are done ! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy as they say in Kentucky xD :blush:

Not valid you didnt prove.

His proof is valid (and imo explained thoroughly enough).
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ohiorizzler1434
744 posts
#6
Y by
MTA_2024 wrote:
Prove that for all real numbers $a$ and $b$ verifying $a>b>0$ . $$(n+1) \cdot b^n \leq \frac{a^{n+1}-b^{n+1}}{a-b} \leq (n+1) \cdot a^n $$

bro! the middle term is a^n + a^{n-1}b + ... + b^n, so it has 11 terms made up of mixed powers of a and b. Because a>b, then the middle term is larger than (n+1)b^n. Because b<a, the middle term is less than (n+1)a^n. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! Now that's rizz!



I agree! vsarg's proof is thorough and complete! Anyone who says the opposite is just a hater unwilling to embrace the fundamental property of multiplication and factorisations!
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by ohiorizzler1434, Mar 15, 2025, 11:59 PM
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MTA_2024
24 posts
#7
Y by
Sorry I'm dumb, found it out myself a bit later.
I was stuck on a problem till I reached right here. Thought I was still a long way through, before realising what is the fudging problem quoting at the very beginning. $a>b$
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invisibleman
13 posts
#8
Y by
This is the natural solution above! I have an idea that is not only valid for natural numbers $n$! Let's see! Consider the function $f(x)=x^{n+1}$ on the interval $[a;b]$. If we apply Lagrange's finite growth theorem, then there is a $c$ in the interval $(a;b)$ for which $$\frac{f(b)-f(a)}{b-a}=(n+1){{c}^{n}}$$But since $$a<c<b$$we already got the problem. And we didn't have to use the abbreviated calculation formula anywhere, which is only valid for natural numbers $n$!
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by invisibleman, Mar 20, 2025, 8:53 AM
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ohiorizzler1434
744 posts
#9
Y by
what the sigam? what is lagrange finite growth theorem? it does not appear in google saerch.
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invisibleman
13 posts
#10
Y by
ohiorizzler1434 wrote:
what the sigam? what is lagrange finite growth theorem? it does not appear in google saerch.

Dear friend! Maybe I didn't express myself clearly. I meant this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_value_theorem
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vsarg
250 posts
#11
Y by
ohiorizzler1434 wrote:
MTA_2024 wrote:
Prove that for all real numbers $a$ and $b$ verifying $a>b>0$ . $$(n+1) \cdot b^n \leq \frac{a^{n+1}-b^{n+1}}{a-b} \leq (n+1) \cdot a^n $$

bro! the middle term is a^n + a^{n-1}b + ... + b^n, so it has 11 terms made up of mixed powers of a and b. Because a>b, then the middle term is larger than (n+1)b^n. Because b<a, the middle term is less than (n+1)a^n. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! Now that's rizz!



I agree! vsarg's proof is thorough and complete! Anyone who says the opposite is just a hater unwilling to embrace the fundamental property of multiplication and factorisations!

Very correct Ohifrizzler thank yod for baking me up from meanies like Eazy. In Kentucky we would :moose: horse race them to seeee whos the better one.
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sqing
41393 posts
#12
Y by
MTA_2024 wrote:
Prove that for all real numbers $a$ and $b$ verifying $a>b>0$ . $$(n+1) \cdot b^n \leq \frac{a^{n+1}-b^{n+1}}{a-b} \leq (n+1) \cdot a^n $$
https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/71285/series-apostol-calculus-vol-i-section-10-20-24?noredirect=1
https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/3890494/how-could-someone-conceive-of-using-this-inequality-for-this-proof?noredirect=1
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