Given that \(1 < x < 2\), decide, with justification, which is the larger of \(x^{x+2}\) or \((x+2)^x\).
Show that the inequalities \(9^{\sqrt{2}} > \sqrt{2}^9\) and \(3^{2\sqrt{2}} > (2\sqrt{2})^3\) are equivalent. Given that \(e^2 < 8\), decide, with justification, which is the larger of \(9^{\sqrt{2}}\) and \(\sqrt{2}^9\).
Decide, with justification, which is the larger of \(8^{\sqrt[4]{3}}\) and \(\sqrt[3]{8}\).
Solution:
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since \(\frac{\ln x}{x}\) is decreasing on \((e, \infty)\) we must have that \(\frac{\ln 3}{3} > \frac{\ln \pi}{\pi} \Rightarrow e^\pi > \pi^3\)
similarly, since \(\frac{\ln x}{x}\) is increasing on \((0, e)\) we must have that \(\frac{\ln \sqrt{5}}{\sqrt{5}} < \frac{\ln 9/4}{9/4} \Rightarrow \left(\frac{9}{4}\right)^{\sqrt{5}} > \sqrt{5}^{\frac{9}{4}}\)
Since \(2^4 = 4^2\) notice also that:
from the graph we must have the green area between \(1\) and \(2\) mapping to the (higher) green area between \(3\) and \(4\).
Therefore \((x+2)^x > x^{x+2}\) for \(1 < x < 2\)