Find all the roots $ r_{1}$, $ r_{2}$, $ r_{3}$ y $ r_{4}$ of the equation $ 4x^{4}-ax^{3}+bx^{2}-cx+5 = 0$, knowing that they are real, positive and that: \[ \frac{r_{1}}{2}+\frac{r_{2}}{4}+\frac{r_{3}}{5}+\frac{r_{4}}{8}= 1.\]
Problem
Source: Spanish Communities
Tags: Columbia, Vieta, algebra unsolved, algebra
06.04.2006 13:44
The product of the roots is $\frac{5}{4}$. Use AM-GM to get that $1 = \frac{r_1}{2} + \frac{r_2}{4} + \frac{r_3}{5} + \frac{r_4}{8} \geq 4 \cdot \sqrt[4]{\frac{r_1}{2} \cdot \frac{r_2}{4} \cdot \frac{r_3}{5} \cdot \frac{r_4}{8}}=1$. Thus $\frac{r_1}{2} = \frac{r_2}{4} = \frac{r_3}{5} = \frac{r_4}{8}$ (equality only for equality in AM-GM) and the problem gets trivial.
05.11.2008 07:04
additional condition that $ a,b,c$ are positive is missing,is it? Edited: yup,my mistake. I didn't note the inscription below "real".
05.11.2008 09:03
Given that the roots are positive, Vieta's formula implies the positiveness of $ a,b,c$. Anyway, they are not required, are they?
07.04.2024 22:57
By Vieta we get $r_{1}r_{2}r_{3}r_{4}=\frac{5}{4}$, now, by MG-MA one finds that \[\frac{r_{1}}{2}+\frac{r_{2}}{4}+\frac{r_{3}}{5}+\frac{r_{4}}{8}\geq 4\sqrt[4]{\frac{r_{1}r_{2}r_{3}r_{4}}{2\cdot 4\cdot 5\cdot 8}}.\]By replacing values in this expression we get \[1\geq 4\sqrt[4]{\frac{\frac{5}{4}}{2\cdot 4\cdot 5\cdot 8}}=1,\]Thus, $\frac{r_{1}}{2}=\frac{r_{2}}{4}=\frac{r_{3}}{5}=\frac{r_{4}}{8}$, and by this we get $r_{1}=\frac{1}{2}$, $r_{2}=1$, $r_{3}=\frac{5}{4}$, $r_{4}=2$, and we're done.