SOLUTION: If u + v + w + x + y = 15, then what is the maximum value of uvx + uvy + uwx + uwy?

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Question 1199733: If u + v + w + x + y = 15, then what is the maximum value of uvx + uvy + uwx + uwy?
Answer by ikleyn(52781) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
See the link
https://www.quora.com/If-u-v-w-x-y-15-then-what-is-the-maximum-value-of-uvx-uvy-uwx-uwy

the answer by Daniel Claydon. Below I copy-pasted from there.

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Notice that

uvx + uvy + uwx + uwy = u(x+y)(v+w).

If  u, v, w, x, y are allowed to be negative, there is no largest value, since, for example, 
one could let  u, x, y be arbitrarily “large” negative numbers (so  u(x+y) is positive), 
then  v+w is a large positive number and the whole product can be as large as you like.

If they are restricted to positive real numbers, then from AM-GM, we have

    u%2B%28x%2By%29%2B%28v%2Bw%29%2F3 >= root%283%2Cu%28x%2By%29%28v%2Bw%29%29


Using the imposed condition to the sum, the left side is just  5, so we have found

    u%2A%28x%2By%29%2A%28v%2Bw%29} <= 5%5E3 = 125.


The maximum value is  125, and occurs if, and only if,  u = x+y = v+w = 5.