Given: #x+y+z = 5# what is the value of #2^x+2^y+2^z# ?

2 Answers
Feb 23, 2018

#2^x+2^y+2^z in [3 * 2^(5/3), oo)#

Explanation:

Given: #x+y+z = 5# what is the value of #2^x+2^y+2^z# ?

There is insufficient information to determine a unique solution or even a finite number of solutions.

The minimum possible value occurs when #x=y=z#, namely:

#2^x+2^y+2^z = 3 * 2^(5/3) ~~ 9.5244#

In general the value is unbounded.

For example, we could put #z=5#. Then #y = -x# and:

#2^x+2^y+2^z = 2^x+2^(-x)+32 > 2^x#

Mar 2, 2018

See below.

Explanation:

We will assume that the question is to determine the minimum for

#2^x+2^y + 2^z#

given

#x + y + z = 5#

There is an inequality (arithmetic-geometric means)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inequality_of_arithmetic_and_geometric_means

witc says

Given #x_1 > 0, x_2 > 0, x_3 > 0#

#(x_1+x_2+x_3)/3 ge root(3)(x_1 x_2 x_3)#

or #x_1+x_2+x_3 ge 3 root(3)(x_1 x_2 x_3)#

Making #x_1 = 2^x > 0, x_2 = 2^y > 0, x_3 = 2^z > 0# we have

#2^x+2^y+2^z ge 3 root(3)(2^(x+y+z)) = 3xx2^(5/3)#