ab² + bc² + ca² ≧ 3abc Note: the inequality does not hold if we allow negative numbers because if a=-1, b=5, and c=1, -1·5² + 6·1² + 1·(-1)² ≧ 3·(-1)(1) -25 + 6 + 1 ≧ -3 -18 ≧ -3 That is false. So you must mean that a,b, and c are non-negative. So I will assume that a,b,c are all non-negative. ------------------------------------------------------ The inequality is symmetric in a,b, and c. Therefore without loss of generality we can assume a≦b≦c. Then there exist non-negative numbers p and q such that b = a+p, and c = a+p+q Substituting those for b and c in the left side of the inequality gives: a(a+p)² + (a+p)(a+p+q)² + (a+p+q)a² Multiplying that out and collecting like terms gives: 3a³+6a²p+3a²q+4ap²+4apq+aq²+aq²+p³+2p²q+pq² Making the same substitutions in the right side of the inequality gives: 3a(a+p)(a+p+q) Multiplying that out and collecting like terms gives: 3a³+6a²p+3a²q+3ap²+3apq So the inequality which we are to prove becomes: 3a³+6a²p+3a²q+4ap²+4apq+aq²+aq²+p³+2p²q+pq² ≧ 3a³+6a²p+3a²q+3ap²+3apq For contradiction, assume that 3a³+6a²p+3a²q+4ap²+4apq+aq²+aq²+p³+2p²q+pq² < 3a³+6a²p+3a²q+3ap²+3apq holds for some non-negative a, p, and q Subtracting the right side from the left side we get ap²+apq+2aq²+p³+2p²q+pq² < 0 But this can never hold because the left side is non-negative, so we have reached a contradiction. Therefore the original inequality holds. Edwin