Minimum value of equations #n+1

Algebra Level 3

Find the minimum value of A = 2 1 x + 1 x A=\dfrac{2}{1-x}+\dfrac{1}{x} , where 0 < x < 1 0 < x < 1 . What is the value of x x to achieve the minimum value of A A ?

The answer can be written in the form of a + b b a+b\sqrt{b} , when x = b c x=\sqrt{b}-c .

Type your answer as a + b + c a+b+c .


The answer is 6.

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2 solutions

Chew-Seong Cheong
Oct 20, 2019

Since the two terms of the sum for A A are positive, we can use Titu's lemma as follows:

2 1 x + 1 x ( 2 + 1 ) 2 1 x + x A 3 + 2 2 \begin{aligned} \frac 2{1-x} + \frac 1x & \ge \frac {\left(\sqrt 2+1\right)^2}{1-x+x} \\ \implies A & \ge 3 + 2\sqrt 2 \end{aligned}

Equality occurs when

2 1 x + 1 x = 3 + 2 2 ( 3 + 2 2 ) x 2 2 ( 1 + 2 ) x + 1 = 0 ( ( 2 + 1 ) x 1 ) 2 = 0 x = 1 2 + 1 = 2 1 \begin{aligned} \frac 2{1-x} + \frac 1x & = 3 + 2\sqrt 2 \\ (3+2\sqrt 2)x^2 - 2(1+\sqrt 2)x + 1 & = 0 \\ \left((\sqrt 2+1)x-1 \right)^2 & = 0 \\ \implies x & = \frac 1{\sqrt 2 + 1} = \sqrt 2 - 1 \end{aligned}

Therefore a + b + c = 3 + 2 + 1 = 6 a+b+c = 3+2+1 = \boxed 6 .

By rearranging the terms we get A x 2 ( A 1 ) x + 1 = 0 Ax^2-(A-1)x+1=0 . Since x x is real , therefore discriminant of this equation must be non-negative definite. This implies A 2 6 A + 1 0 A^2-6A+1\geq 0 , or A 3 + 2 2 A\geq {3+2√2} . Therefore the minimum value of A A is 3 + 2 2 3+2√2 , when x = A 1 2 A = 2 1 x=\dfrac{A-1}{2A}=√2-1 . Hence a = 3 , b = 2 , c = 1 a=3, b=2, c=1 and a + b + c = 6 a+b+c=\boxed {6}

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