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Little conjecture about sums of reciprocals

Given a finite list $x_i$ of $N$ positive reals, it seems that $\sum_{i=1}^N x_i = \sum_{i=1}^N x_i {}^{-1} \Rightarrow \sum_{i=1}^N x_i \geq N$. Can anyone give me a proof?
Jamie Vicary's user avatar
  • 2,513
1 vote
1 answer
9k views

what is the difference between the revised simplex method andthe full tableu?

No to sound naive but they look like they include the same steps to me, one's just the algorithmical representation of the other. Thanks in advance.
Jorge Guzman's user avatar
9 votes
5 answers
1k views

estimate the error term in CLT

Let $X_m = \frac{1}{\sqrt{m}}\sum_{k=1}^m Z_k$ where $Z_k$ are iid equally likely on $\{\pm 1\}$. Then $X_m$ convergens to $X \sim \mathcal{N}(0,1)$ in distribution by CLT. Let $f$ be a smooth ...
gondolier's user avatar
  • 1,839
2 votes
0 answers
281 views

Recovering a piecewise affine function

Lets say I have an piecewise affine convex function $f(x_1,x_2)$, on which the following operations are possible: Computing $f(x_1,x_2)$. Computing a subgradient to $f$ at $(x_1,x_2)$ Computing all ...
Ben's user avatar
  • 567
20 votes
6 answers
6k views

subadditive implies concave

Let $f:R_+\to R_+$ be smooth on $(0,\infty)$, increasing, $f(0)=0$ and $\lim_{x\to\infty}=\infty$. Assume also that $f$ is subadditive: $f(x+y)\le f(x)+f(y)$ for all $x,y\ge 0$. Must $f$ be concave? ...
alex's user avatar
  • 213
2 votes
1 answer
178 views

Maximal inequality over two indices

In Freedman's series of 3 books on Markov processes, I find that I keep on running into terms like: P[$\max_{0 \leq s \leq 1, s \leq t \leq rs}$ | B(t) - B(s) | > $\epsilon$] in the background of ...
little_probabilist's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
640 views

Sorting a binary matrix diagonal in polynomial time while preserving rows

Is there a polynomial time solution to sort an arbitrary binary square matrix in polynomial time by rows so that the diagonal contains a 1 if any row contains a 1 in that column? For example given ...
Tristan's user avatar
  • 121
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

For Ax = b, x and b unknown vectors, how do I solve the x that maximizes min(b_i)?

Given a matrix $A$, each element $A_{i,j} \geq 0$, find the vector $\vec x$ that maximizes the minimum element in $\vec b$ ($\vec b = A \vec x$). Note that this is not a linear equation system as I ...
SoftMemes's user avatar
  • 135
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Inequality concerning absolute value of a polynomial

Let $$f(z) = (1-1/t) z^w + z/t - 1$$ with integers $t\geq2$ and $w\geq2$.Let $r=1+1/(tw^3)$. How do I show $$\left\lvert f(r e^{i\varphi}) \right\rvert \geq \left\lvert f(r) \right\rvert$$ for any $\...
Daniel Krenn's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Proving inequalities over algebraic structures

I've been looking at proof techniques in formal systems like Coq and Agda recently, and encountered the newring tactic described here for proving equalities over ...
copumpkin's user avatar
  • 177
3 votes
1 answer
474 views

Analogues of the Golden-Thompson inequality

Are there any analogues of the Golden-Thompson Inequality for moment generating functions? The Golden-Thompson Inequality asserts the following: If $A$ and $B$ are two $n \times n$ Hermitian matrices, ...
PV1707's user avatar
  • 31
6 votes
1 answer
369 views

Denominators in the solution to Hilbert's XVII

Hilbert's seventeenth problem asks to prove that every positive semidefinite form can be written as the sum of squares of rational functions. Currently we don't seem to have a good understanding of ...
Gjergji Zaimi's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
3k views

Continuous Linear Programming: Estimating a Solution

I have a "continuous" linear programming problem that involves maximizing a linear function over a curved convex space. In typical LP problems, the convex space is a polytope, but in this case the ...
David S-D's user avatar
  • 373
4 votes
1 answer
275 views

Symmetry of the integer gap

Are there results that bound the asymmetry of the duality gap of an integer program? That is to say, if the difference between the LP solution and the IP (primal) solution is $a$, is there a function ...
Chris Caragianis's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Inequality involving probability measures [closed]

I have been working on a problem(alternate minimization) where I want to establish an inequality in which I am stuck. An $\alpha$- parameterized version of the divergence(Kullback-Leibler) takes the ...
Ashok's user avatar
  • 779
3 votes
2 answers
489 views

Positivity of a finite sum

Let $i$, $k$ be integers such that $2 \leq i \leq k$. I would like to show that the sum $$ \sum_{j=1}^{i-1} \frac{(-1)^{j-1}(i-j)^k}{(i-j)! (j-1)!} $$ is positive. I have carried out extensive ...
Siksek's user avatar
  • 3,142
12 votes
2 answers
1k views

Positivity of sequences via generating series

There are different ways of showing that a given sequence $a_0,a_1,a_2,\dots$ of integers, say, is nonnegative. For example, one can show that $a_n$ count something, or express $a_n$ as a (multiple) ...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Applications of minmax theorem(s)

Intro We suppose $X$ and $Y$ are nonempty sets and f: $X\times Y \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$. A minimax theorem is a theorem that asserts that, under certain conditions, $$ \inf_Y \sup_X f = \sup_X \...
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

How to solve Linear Programming problem with tighter Integer Programming constraints

I want to learn a bit about Linear Programming. After some research, I decided to solve the Cutting Stock problem as an example to learn. After doing some more research, I feel like I finally ...
Unwanted Letters's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
6k views

Proving that a binary matrix is totally unimodular

I'm working on a set of problems for which I can formulate binary integer programs. When I solve the linear relaxations of these problems, I always get integer solutions. I would like to prove that ...
AaronDefazio's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
803 views

Inequality constraints, probability distributions, and integer partitions

I am interested in the possibility of generating probability distributions using inequality constraints. For instance assume that we have three urns with total of a 10 balls. Thus, $a + b + c = 10$ ...
Jonathan Fischoff's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
6k views

Solving a system of linear inequalities -- what is the dimension of the solution set?

It is well known how to solve a system of linear equations $A{\bf x} = {\bf b}$, but how do we solve a system of linear inequalities $A{\bf x} \leq {\bf b}$? For the applications I have in mind the ...
Matthew Kahle's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
8k views

Existence/Uniqueness of Nonnegative Solutions of Linear Systems of Equations

Suppose we have an $m$x$n$ matrix $A$, with $m\lt n$, and an $m$x$1$ vector $b$. Are there existence and uniqueness conditions characterizing nonnegative solutions of the system of linear equations $...
Adam Clarridge's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
429 views

A plausible positivity

After getting stuck with the previous positivity (it probably sounds too complex), I would like to give a version of the problem which is of most interest to me. Consider a sequence of real numbers $...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
354 views

Positivity of "harmonic" summation

The settings for the problem are as follows. Given a real number $\alpha\in[0,1]$, consider a sequence of real (positive, negative and zero) numbers $a_1,a_2,\dots,a_n,\dots$ satisfying (1) $a_1=1$, ...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

Salem Inequality

I have come across this inequality in the paper "Local estimates for exponential polynomials and their applications to inequalities of the uncertainty principle type" http://www.math.msu.edu/~fedja/...
Vagabond's user avatar
  • 1,795
152 votes
18 answers
24k views

Why do we care about $L^p$ spaces besides $p = 1$, $p = 2$, and $p = \infty$?

I was helping a student study for a functional analysis exam and the question came up as to when, in practice, one needs to consider the Banach space $L^p$ for some value of $p$ other than the obvious ...
4 votes
1 answer
866 views

When is a triangular matrix totally unimodular?

I have a {0,1}, invertible, triangular matrix, that I would like to show is totally unimodular. Are there any known results on the total unimodularity of classes of triangular matrices?
Michael Biro's user avatar
  • 1,182
5 votes
1 answer
271 views

Feasibility of linear programs

It's known that finding the intersection of n halfplanes in 2-d takes $\Omega(n\log n)$ time. Does the lower bound apply if we change the question to deciding whether the intersection is non-empty?
Vinayak Pathak's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
5k views

A system of linear equations with linear constraints

Mathematical problem. Suppose we have $2n$ indeterminates $x_1,\dots,x_n$ and $y_1,\dots,y_n$ (which are denoted by $q$ with indices and called abundances below) and $m$ subsets $P_1,\dots,P_m$ of $\...
Florian Breitwieser's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
790 views

Is it possible to use linear programming to solve this problem?

I am trying to write software to minimize pricing for cell phone subscription services, ie: choose the optimum plan for each customer in a large group. Could someone comment on whether this is ...
user6546's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
711 views

Another plausible inequality.

I come across the following problem in my study. Consider in the real field. Let $ 0\le x\le1 $, $a_1^2+a_2^2=b_1^2+b_2^2=1$.Is it true $ (a_1b_1+xa_2b_2)^2\le\left(\frac{(1-x)+(1+x)(a_1b_1+a_2b_2)}...
Sunni's user avatar
  • 1,858
0 votes
2 answers
579 views

Linear algebra inequality

I'm wondering (hoping) if an inequality is true. Please can anyone help me? Let $V$ be a complex vector space $dim_{\mathbb{C}}(V)=n$ with a hermitian scalar product $h$. Let $v,a, b \in V$. Is it ...
Italo's user avatar
  • 1,727
2 votes
3 answers
806 views

An Linear Algebra Inequality

How to prove the following inequality: Let $X$ and $Y$ be $n\times m$ matrices with real entries. Prove that \begin{equation} \det\left(XY^T\right)^2 \leq \det\left(XX^T\right)\det\left(YY^T\right) . \...
Marine's user avatar
  • 31
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

A simple infinite dimensional optimization problem

I'd be grateful for a reference for the following result, which I believe to be true, and should be well-known. Let the continuous functions $f_0,f_1,\cdots,f_n: [0,1]\rightarrow [0,\infty)$ be ...
Guy Katriel's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Cyclic order relation in Zn

The ring Zn:={0,1,..,n-1} under addition and multiplication modulo n. Suppose a,b,c,x $\in$ Zn are nonzero and the cyclic order R(a,b,c) holds, then under what conditions does R(ax,bx,cx) hold ?
Roy Maclean's user avatar
  • 1,190
2 votes
1 answer
739 views

Another mixed mean inequality

Let $a_1,$ $a_2,$ $\ldots,$ $a_n$ be positive real numbers. Prove that $$\sqrt{\frac{a_1^2+\left( \frac{a_1+a_2}{2}\right)^2+\cdots +\left(\frac{a_1+a_2+\cdots +a_n}{n}\right)^2}{n}} \le \frac{a_1+\...
can_hang2007's user avatar
29 votes
6 answers
8k views

How to find a closest integer point to the intersection of two lines?

Here's a question that originates from StackOverflow. Given are two lines on a plane, specified by equations ($a x + b y = c$) with integer coefficients. The lines aren't parallel and they don't ...
P Shved's user avatar
  • 391
27 votes
2 answers
2k views

How often are irrational numbers well-approximated by rationals?

Suppose $x\in \mathbb{R}$ is irrational, with irrationality measure $\mu=\mu(x)$; this means that the inequality $|x-\frac{p}{q}|< q^{-\lambda}$ has infinitely many solutions in integers $p,q$ if ...
David Hansen's user avatar
  • 13.1k
1 vote
0 answers
1k views

Covariance matrix formula interpretation - what am I missing?

I'm reading a paper that outlines the calculation of a covariance matrix like the following: $C=\displaystyle\sum^{N_b}_{i=1}\vec{x}_i\vec{x}_i^T$ What is the order of this matrix? My interpretation ...
fbrereto's user avatar
  • 111
0 votes
2 answers
4k views

Linear programming piecewise linear objective

I am fairly new at linear programming/optimization and am currently working on implementing a linear program that is stated like this: max $\sum_{i=1}^{k}{p(\vec \alpha \cdot \vec c_i)}$ $s.t. $ $|\...
AFJ's user avatar
  • 3
1 vote
3 answers
379 views

monotonicity from 4 term-recursion.

In determining the monotonicity of coefficients in a series expansion (which appeared in one of my study), I come across the following problem. Let $p\ge 2$ be an integer, and $$6p^3(i+3)d_{i+3}=6p^...
Sunni's user avatar
  • 1,858
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Upper bound for a+b+c in terms of ab+bc+ac

I am given a triple of positive integers $a,b,c$ such that $a \geq 1$ and $b,c \geq 2$. I would like to find an upper bound for $a+b+c$ in terms of $n = ab+bc+ac$. Clearly $a+b+c < ab+bc+ac = n$. ...
Jernej's user avatar
  • 3,463
10 votes
1 answer
2k views

Sum of difference moduli vs. sum of modulus differences

This is a failed attempt of mine at creating a contest problem; the failure is in the fact that I wasn't able to solve it myself. Let $x_1$, $x_2$, ..., $x_n$ be $n$ reals. For any integer $k$, ...
darij grinberg's user avatar
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

A plausible inequality

I come across the following problem in my study. Let $x_i, y_i\in \mathbb{R}, i=1,2,\cdots,n$ with $\sum\limits_{i=1}^nx_i^2=\sum\limits_{i=1}^ny_i^2=1$, and $a_1\ge a_2\ge \cdots \ge a_n>0 $. Is ...
Sunni's user avatar
  • 1,858
62 votes
7 answers
26k views

Is the Jaccard distance a distance?

Wikipedia defines the Jaccard distance between sets A and B as $$J_\delta(A,B)=1-\frac{|A\cap B|}{|A\cup B|}.$$ There's also a book claiming that this is a metric. However, I couldn't find any ...
rgrig's user avatar
  • 1,355
7 votes
8 answers
2k views

Examples of inequality implied by equality.

It is well known Cauchy's inequality is implied by Lagrange's identity. Bohr's inequality $|a -b|^2 \le p|a|^2 +q|b|^2$, where $\frac{1}{p}+\frac{1}{q}=1$, is implied by $|a -b|^2 +|\sqrt{p/q}a+\sqrt{...
29 votes
8 answers
6k views

Is there a good reason why $a^{2b} + b^{2a} \le 1$ when $a+b=1$?

The following problem is not from me, yet I find it a big challenge to give a nice (in contrast to 'heavy computation') proof. The motivation for me to post it lies in its concise content. If $a$ and ...
Sunni's user avatar
  • 1,858
14 votes
2 answers
16k views

When is the product of a set of numbers greater than the sum of them?

This could well be too general a question, but I'd be interested in solutions to special cases too. Say you have some finite set of positive real numbers $x_i$, when is it the case that $\sum_i x_i &...
Seamus's user avatar
  • 367
21 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is there a combinatorial proof of Cauchy-Schwarz?

I've only played with this a little for the past day or so, and haven't thought about it too hard, so it might be obvious. Obviously it's not fair to ask for a "combinatorial proof" of an inequality ...
Harrison Brown's user avatar