Reciprocal inequality for distinct positive numbers

Reciprocal inequality for distinct positive numbers

IB Year 6 | Grade 12
7 marks
User-supplied screenshot; Question 8; paper unidentified

Let \(x\) and \(y\) be positive real numbers such that \(x\ne y\).

  1. Prove by contradiction that \(\frac{x}{y}+\frac{y}{x}>2\).[5]
  2. Give a counterexample to show that this inequality may not hold if \(x\) and \(y\) are not both positive.[2]

Solution:

Solution locked

Sign in to view the step-by-step solution

Finding similar questions...
Answer:\(\frac{x}{y}+\frac{y}{x}>2\) for unequal positive \(x,y\); \(x=1,\ y=-1\) gives \(-2\leq 2\).

Need help? Join our JC Math tuition classes.

Learn more