MHB Can You Meet the Sine Function Challenge?

anemone
Gold Member
MHB
POTW Director
Messages
3,851
Reaction score
115
Let $a,\,b$ and $c$ be real numbers such that $\sin a+\sin b+\sin c\ge \dfrac{3}{2}$. Prove that

$\sin \left(a-\dfrac{\pi}{6}\right)+\sin \left(b-\dfrac{\pi}{6}\right)+\sin \left(c-\dfrac{\pi}{6}\right)\ge 0$.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
Assume for contradiction that $\sin \left(a-\dfrac{\pi}{6}\right)+\sin \left(b-\dfrac{\pi}{6}\right)+\sin \left(c-\dfrac{\pi}{6}\right)< 0$

Then by the addition and subtraction formulas, we have

$\dfrac{1}{2}(\cos a+\cos b+\cos c)>\dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}(\sin a+\sin b+\sin c)\ge \dfrac{3\sqrt{3}}{4}$

It follows that

$\cos a+\cos b+\cos c>\dfrac{3\sqrt{3}}{2}$

which implies that

$\begin{align*}\sin \left(a+\dfrac{\pi}{3}\right)+\sin \left(b+\dfrac{\pi}{3}\right)+\sin \left(c+\dfrac{\pi}{3}\right)&=\dfrac{1}{2}(\sin a+\sin b+\sin c)+\dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}(\cos a+\cos b+\cos c)\\&=\dfrac{1}{2}\cdot \dfrac{3}{2}+\dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\cdot \dfrac{3\sqrt{3}}{2}\\&=3\end{align*}$

which is impossible because $\sin x\le 1$.
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...

Similar threads

Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
7
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
939
Back
Top