I am trying to find the minimum value of
$$
\sum_{k=1}^{n} (k+1)z_k^2
$$
subject to the constraint
$$
\sum_{k=1}^{n} z_k = 0.
$$
I would appreciate any hints or solutions.
admin Answered question
Since (k+1>0) for all (k\ge 1), each term
$$
(k+1)z_k^2
$$
is non-negative. Therefore,
$$
\sum_{k=1}^{n}(k+1)z_k^2 \ge 0.
$$
To determine whether this lower bound is attainable, consider
$$
z_1=z_2=\cdots=z_n=0.
$$
Then the constraint
$$
\sum_{k=1}^{n} z_k = 0
$$
is satisfied.
Substituting these values into the objective function gives
$$
\sum_{k=1}^{n}(k+1)z_k^2 = 0
$$
Hence the minimum value is
$$
\boxed{0}.
$$
The minimum is attained when
$$
z_1=z_2=\cdots=z_n=0.
$$
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