Triangle Inequality in Number Theory
Triangle Inequality in Number Theory
For any real numbers a and b, the Triangle Inequality states:
|a + b| ≤ |a| + |b|
Proof
We will consider different cases based on the signs of a and b:
Case 1: a ≥ 0 and b ≥ 0
|a + b| = a + b = |a| + |b|
Case 2: a ≥ 0 and b < 0 (or vice versa)
If a + b ≥ 0, then:
|a + b| = a + b ≤ a - b = |a| + |b|
If a + b < 0, then:
|a + b| = -(a + b) = -a - b = |a| + |b|
Case 3: a < 0 and b < 0
|a + b| = -(a + b) = -a - b = |a| + |b|
Algebraic Proof
Using the definition of absolute values:
|a + b|2 ≤ (|a| + |b|)2
|a + b|2 = (a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2
(|a| + |b|)2 = |a|2 + 2|a||b| + |b|2
Since |a|2 = a2 and |b|2 = b2:
a2 + 2ab + b2 ≤ a2 + 2|a||b| + b2
Given |a||b| ≥ ab, we conclude that:
a2 + 2ab + b2 ≤ a2 + 2|a||b| + b2
Taking square roots on both sides:
|a + b| ≤ |a| + |b|
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