Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2010
Let a1, …, am and b1, … bm be non-negative real numbers. The well-known inequality of Minkowski states that
if n ≥ 1. If n is a positive integer, this inequality asserts a property of a particular symmetric form (i.e. homogeneous polynomial) in m variables, namely the sum of the n-th powers of the variables. Some time ago, Prof. A. C. Aitken conjectured that similar properties are possessed by certain other symmetric forms. In particular, let E(n)(a) denote the n-th elementary symmetric function of a1, …, am and let C(n)(a) denote the n-th complete symmetric function of a1, …, am, the formal definitions being
Then Prof. Aitken conjectured that
page 49 note * Canadian J. of Math., 9 (1957), 305–312.
page 51 note * It will be noted that, as a consequence of these results, the form δT (n) satisfies an identity similar to (12a) but with a numerical factor independent of a 1,…, a m. This property characterizes the forms T (n)(a), considered in the present paper, among a wider class of symmetric forms.
page 56 note * Hardy, Littlewood and Póya, Inequalities (1st ed.), Theorem 52.