Shapiro inequality explained

In mathematics, the Shapiro inequality is an inequality proposed by Harold S. Shapiro in 1954.[1]

Statement of the inequality

Suppose

n

is a natural number and

x1,x2,...,xn

are positive numbers and:

n

is even and less than or equal to

12

, or

n

is odd and less than or equal to

23

.

Then the Shapiro inequality states that

n
\sum
i=1
xi
xi+1+xi+2

\geq

n
2

where

xn+1=x1

and

xn+2=x2

.

For greater values of

n

the inequality does not hold, and the strict lower bound is

\gamma

n
2
with

\gamma0.9891...

.

The initial proofs of the inequality in the pivotal cases

n=12

[2] and

n=23

[3] rely on numerical computations. In 2002, P.J. Bushell and J.B. McLeod published an analytical proof for 

n=12

.[4]

The value of

\gamma

was determined in 1971 by Vladimir Drinfeld. Specifically, he proved that the strict lower bound

\gamma

is given by
1
2

\psi(0)

, where the function

\psi

is the convex hull of

f(x)=e-x

and

g(x)=

2
x+e
e
x
2
. (That is, the region above the graph of

\psi

is the convex hull of the union of the regions above the graphs of

f

and

g

.)[5]

Interior local minima of the left-hand side are always

\gen
2
.[6]

Counter-examples for higher n

The first counter-example was found by Lighthill in 1956, for

n=20

:[7]

x20=(1+5\epsilon, 6\epsilon, 1+4\epsilon, 5\epsilon, 1+3\epsilon, 4\epsilon, 1+2\epsilon, 3\epsilon, 1+\epsilon, 2\epsilon, 1+2\epsilon,\epsilon, 1+3\epsilon, 2\epsilon, 1+4\epsilon, 3\epsilon, 1+5\epsilon, 4\epsilon, 1+6\epsilon, 5\epsilon),

where

\epsilon

is close to 0. Then the left-hand side is equal to

10-\epsilon2+O(\epsilon3)

, thus lower than 10 when

\epsilon

is small enough.

The following counter-example for

n=14

is by Troesch (1985):

x14=(0,42,2,42,4,41,5,39,4,38,2,38,0,40)

(Troesch, 1985)

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Shapiro . H. S. . Bellman . R. . Newman . D. J. . Weissblum . W. E. . Smith . H. R. . Coxeter . H. S. M. . 1954 . Problems for Solution: 4603-4607 . The American Mathematical Monthly . 61 . 8 . 571 . 10.2307/2307617 . 2307617 . 2021-09-23.
  2. Godunova . E. K. . Levin . V. I. . 1976-06-01 . A cyclic sum with 12 terms . Mathematical Notes of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR . en . 19 . 6 . 510–517 . 10.1007/BF01149930 . 1573-8876.
  3. Troesch . B. A. . 1989 . The Validity of Shapiro's Cyclic Inequality . Mathematics of Computation . 53 . 188 . 657–664 . 10.2307/2008728 . 2008728 . 0025-5718.
  4. Bushell . P. J. . McLeod . J. B. . 2002 . Shapiro's cyclic inequality for even n . Journal of Inequalities and Applications . English . 7 . 3 . 331–348 . 10.1155/S1025583402000164 . free . 1029-242X.
  5. Drinfel'd. V. G.. 1971-02-01. A cyclic inequality. Mathematical Notes of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. en. 9. 2. 68–71. 10.1007/BF01316982. 121786805. 1573-8876.
  6. Nowosad . Pedro . September 1968 . Isoperimetric eigenvalue problems in algebras . Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics . en . 21 . 5 . 401–465 . 10.1002/cpa.3160210502 . 0010-3640.
  7. Lighthill . M. J. . 1956 . An Invalid Inequality . American Mathematical Monthly . 63 . 3 . 191–192. 10.1080/00029890.1956.11988785 .