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2025 Paper 2 Q3
D: 1500.0 B: 1515.3

  1. Sketch a graph of \(y = \frac{\ln x}{x}\) for \(x > 0\).
  2. Use your graph to show the following.
    1. \(3^{\pi} > \pi^3\)
    2. \(\left(\frac{9}{4}\right)^{\sqrt{5}} > \sqrt{5}^{\frac{9}{4}}\)
  3. Given that \(1 < x < 2\), decide, with justification, which is the larger of \(x^{x+2}\) or \((x+2)^x\).
  4. 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 \(\sqrt{2}^9\).
  5. Decide, with justification, which is the larger of \(8^{\sqrt[4]{3}}\) and \(\sqrt[3]{8}\).


Solution:

  1. TikZ diagram
  2. \begin{enumerate}
  3. since \(\frac{\ln x}{x}\) is decreasing on \((e, \infty)\) we must have that \(\frac{\ln 3}{3} > \frac{\ln \pi}{\pi} \Rightarrow e^\pi > \pi^3\)
  4. similarly, since \(\frac{\ln x}{x}\) is increasing on \((0, e)\) we must have that \(\frac{\ln \sqrt{5}}{\sqrt{5}} < \frac{\ln 9/4}{9/4} \Rightarrow \left(\frac{9}{4}\right)^{\sqrt{5}} > \sqrt{5}^{\frac{9}{4}}\)
  5. Since \(2^4 = 4^2\) notice also that:
    TikZ diagram
    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 \(1 < x < 2\)
  6. \begin{align*} && 9^{\sqrt 2} & \stackrel{?}{>} \sqrt{2}^9 \\ \Leftrightarrow && (3^2)^{\sqrt2} &\stackrel{?}{>} (\sqrt{2}^3)^3 \\ \Leftrightarrow && 3^{2 \sqrt2} &\stackrel{?}{>} (2\sqrt2)^3 \end{align*} Since \(e^2 < 8 < 9\Rightarrow e < 2\sqrt2 < 3\) therefore: \begin{align*} && \frac{\ln 2 \sqrt2}{2 \sqrt 2} &> \frac{\ln 3}{3} \\ \Leftrightarrow && (2 \sqrt{2})^3 &> 3^{2 \sqrt{2}} \\ \Leftrightarrow && \sqrt{2}^9 &> 9^{\sqrt 2} \\ \end{align*}
  7. \begin{align*} && 8^{\sqrt[3]{3}} & \stackrel{?}{>} \sqrt[3]{3}^8 \\ \Leftrightarrow && 2^{3 \sqrt[3] 3} & \stackrel{?}{>} (\sqrt[3]{3}^4)^2 \\ \Leftrightarrow && 2^{3 \sqrt[3] 3} & \stackrel{?}{>} (3\sqrt[3]{3})^2 \\ \end{align*} Since \(3\sqrt[3]{3} > 4\) we have \begin{align*} && \frac{\ln (3 \sqrt[3]3)}{3 \sqrt[3]3} &< \frac{\ln 4}{4} \\ &&&= \frac{\ln 2}{2}\\ \Rightarrow && (3 \sqrt[3]{3})^2 &< 2^{3 \sqrt[3]{3}} \\ \Rightarrow && \sqrt[3]3^8 &< 8^{\sqrt[3]3} \end{align*}