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LemmaStatement: AI-adaptedProof: AI-adaptedprecheck passjudge pass (z-ai/glm-5.2)verified 2026-07-26 (claude-opus-5)
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Bernoulli's inequality (1+x)n≥1+nx

Statement

Let R be an ordered field (Ordered field), let x∈R with x≥−1, and let n∈N, with powers as in Integer powers am and with n also denoting the canonical field image n⋅1R of the natural number n (Canonical naturals are positive and strictly increasing, The unique embedding of ℚ into an ordered field). Then

(1+x)n≥1+nx,

and equality holds if and only if n≤1 or x=0.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: An ordered field R, an element x≥−1 of it, and a natural number n, with n in field coefficients denoting the canonical image n⋅1R; the exponent remains natural.

[L1]

Definition of powers (Integer powers am): a0=1 and an+1=ana.

[L2]
[L3]

Order and scaling: for c≥0, u≥v implies uc≥vc. Sign rules for products and monotonicity of multiplication gives only the strict rule u>v  ⟺  uc>vc for c>0, so this is that rule together with the case u=v, and with the case c=0, where both sides are 0 (Multiplication by zero: 0⋅a=0). Likewise adding a constant preserves the order, where Order is preserved by adding a constant and by adding inequalities again states only the strict form and the nonstrict one adds the case of equality; trichotomy is what settles those cases (Ordered field).

[L4]

Squares are nonnegative: x2>0 for x≠0 (Squares of nonzero elements are positive), and 02=0⋅0=0 because a product with a zero factor vanishes (Multiplication by zero: 0⋅a=0), which is also what makes 0⋅x=0 below; so x2≥0 for every x.

[L5]

Canonical naturals in the field: 0⋅1R=0R, (n+1)⋅1R=n⋅1R+1R, and n⋅1R>0 for natural n≥1, so these field images are nonnegative for every natural n (Canonical naturals are positive and strictly increasing, The unique embedding of ℚ into an ordered field).

Proof

technique · induction
1.1baseL1L4L5

Base case n=0: (1+x)0=1 and 1+0⋅x=1, so the inequality holds with equality.

1.2ih

Inductive hypothesis: fix n∈N and assume (1+x)n≥1+nx.

1.3givenL3

Since x≥−1 we have 1+x≥0, and this is exactly what licenses multiplying the inductive inequality by 1+x without reversing it.

1.4L3L4L5

The discarded term is nonnegative: nx2≥0, since x2≥0 and n≥0, so scaling the inequality x2≥0 by the nonnegative factor n gives nx2≥n⋅0=0; the scaling rule, and not the nonnegativity of the two factors on its own, is what licenses this.

1.5L1L2L3L4L5

Equality analysis, the strict direction: if n≥2 and x≠0 with x≥−1, then (1+x)n>1+nx, by a second induction, on j, over the statement (1+x)j+2>1+(j+2)x; for j=0 we have (1+x)2=1+2x+x2>1+2x because x2>0; and assuming (1+x)m>1+mx for some m≥2, there are two possibilities: if x=−1 then (1+x)m+1=0 while 1+(m+1)x=1−(m+1)=−m<0, and if x>−1 then 1+x>0 and (1+x)m+1=(1+x)m(1+x)>(1+mx)(1+x)=1+(m+1)x+mx2≥1+(m+1)x, so the strict inequality passes to m+1 in either case.

2.1step 1.2step 1.3L1L3L5

Multiplying the hypothesis by 1+x≥0 and expanding: (1+x)n+1=(1+x)n(1+x)≥(1+nx)(1+x)=1+(n+1)x+nx2.

2.2step 1.1L1L5

Equality analysis, the easy direction: at n=0 both sides are 1, and at n=1 both sides are 1+x, so equality holds whenever n≤1; and if x=0 both sides are 1 for every n, since (1+0)n=1n=1.

3.1step 2.1step 1.4L3

Hence (1+x)n+1≥1+(n+1)x, which is the claim at n+1.

4.1step 1.1step 3.1step 2.2step 1.5L2discharge-induction∎

By the induction principle the inequality (1+x)n≥1+nx holds for every n∈N and every x≥−1, and by steps 2.2 and 1.5 equality holds exactly when n≤1 or x=0.

Depends on

Dependency tree · 2 levels

Sources