03-06-11 What's the mistake?

x+y+z=pi (angles of a triangle)

show that sin x + sin y + sin z >= 3√3/2

Solution

\frac{\sin x+\sin y+\sin z}{3}\ge(sin x\times\sin y\times\sin z)^{1/3} (AM GM Inequality)

Equality holds when all terms are equal....

So sin x + sin y + sin z >= 3sin (pi/3)>=3√3/2

Hence Proved...

Find the flaw in the solution

17 Answers

49
Subhomoy Bakshi ·

oops.. sorry..

I was wrong..

sin x , sin y , sin z cannot be negative! [3]

49
Subhomoy Bakshi ·

yes I realised that today ! [3]

21
Arnab Kundu ·

'' but not the argument that follows ''

why ??

can u explain more exactly ?

1
chinmaya ·

ohh

1
Ricky ·

Hint - The R . H . S of the AM - GM inequality achieves its maximal value at the exact point at which the L . H .S is maximum . So , the inequality is valid , but not the argument that follows .

21
Arnab Kundu ·

Chinmaya..u r again wrong.. it's not possible to have any angle greater than 180

read the qstn properly.. it says angles of a triangle

1
chinmaya ·

since we are given sum of angles is pi...it is possible to have one of them greater than 180°,and that would render sine of that angle as a negative quantity....from which AM-GM fails!

62
Lokesh Verma ·

Chinmaya.. lets use ur logic..

Sin x = sin y = sin z

so from there even if it happens, x y and z are in 0 to pi

so we have atleast one of the two as equal...
the third being pi-2x

so we have

sin x + sin x + sin pi-2x

= 2 sin x + sin 2x

Even this step would have been wrong...

1
chinmaya ·

i don't find anywhere that it is given that one of the angles can't be concave like(i.e. greater than 180°)[3]...sorry for this horrible term i used

21
Arnab Kundu ·

''Equality holds when all terms are equal...."

This requires some additional constraints like their product is constant ..

m i correct ?

49
Subhomoy Bakshi ·

so true! [1]

1
chinmaya ·

sorry if i wasn't clear enough in my first reply....actually i thought saying that proof is based on sin x =sin y=sin z (with x+y+z=pi) and not x=y=z was sufficient to include this positivity thing as well...maybe i need to learn how to write my reasoning properly[1]..else i would continue making a mess like this!

49
Subhomoy Bakshi ·

now u r correct! [1]

1
chinmaya ·

dude my argument is much wider than most might have realized...AM GM holds for positive entitites only...so,it can't be taken as a proof.

here's an analogy:

dx^n/dx =nx^n-1

proving it for n=real numbers is much different from just proving it for n=natural numbers...hope i am clear engouh now shubhomoy

49
Subhomoy Bakshi ·

Both Arnab and Chinmaya according to me are wrong..

1
chinmaya ·

doesn't ur proof say that sin x =sin y=sin z (with x+y+z=pi) and not x=y=z.

21
Arnab Kundu ·

moreover when all the terms are equal then just AM = Gm

that doesn't prove that inequality at all .. does it?

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