TITLE: Proof of an inequality in $\mathbb{C}$
QUESTION [9 upvotes]: Let $z\in \mathbb{C}, n \geq 2$. Show this complex inequality
$$|z^n-1|^2\le |z-1|^2\left(1+|z|^2+\dfrac{2}{n-1}\Re{(z)}\right)^{n-1}$$
For $n=2$ the inequality is easy to prove: 
$$|z^2-1|^2\le |z-1|^2\left(1+|z|^2+2\Re{(z)}\right)$$
$$\Longleftrightarrow |z+1|^2\le 1+|z|^2+2\Re{(z)}$$
$$\Longleftrightarrow z+\overline{z}\le 2\Re{(z)}$$
which is in fact an equality, thus is exact. 
for $n=3$.
$$\Longleftrightarrow |z^2+z+1|^2\le (1+|z|^2+\Re{(z)})^2$$
$$\Longleftrightarrow(z^2+z+1)(\overline {z^2}+\overline{z}+1)\le |z|^4+2|z|^2+1+\Re^2{z}+2\Re{(z)}+2|z|^2\cdot\Re{(z)}$$
$$\Longleftrightarrow |z|^4+|z|^2+|z|^2(z+\overline{z})+1+(z+\overline{z})+(z^2+(\overline{z})^2)\le |z|^4+2|z|^2+1+\Re^2{z}+2\Re{(z)}+2|z|^2\cdot\Re{(z)}$$
$$\Longleftrightarrow |z|^2+(\Re{(z)})^2\ge z^2+(\overline{z})^2=(z+\overline{z})^2-2|z|^2$$
$$\Longleftrightarrow 3|z|^2\ge 3(\Re{(z)})^2$$
It is clear
Is it true for a general $n$?

REPLY [4 votes]: Firstly: $$\frac{z^n-1}{z-1}=z^{n-1}+z^{n-2}+\cdots1 \hspace{2cm}(1)$$
Let $z_k, \; k=0,\cdots,n-1$ be the roots of unity, i.e. the roots of $z^n-1=0$, and take $z_0=1$. Using Vieta's relations for the sum of the roots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vieta's_formulas), one has $\sum\limits_{i=0}^{n-1} z_i=0$. Using that $z_0=1$, we get $\sum\limits_1^{n-1}z_i=-1$. With $z_k = \cos\theta_k+I\sin\theta_k$, and separating the real and imaginary parts, we get: $$\sum\limits_{k=1}^{n-1}\cos\theta_k=-1$$ $$\sum\limits_{k=1}^{n-1}\sin\theta_k=0$$
Equation $(1)$ can be written now as: $$\frac{z^n-1}{z-1}=(z-z_{n-1})(z-z_{n-2}\,)\cdots(z-z_1)$$, hence: $$\vert\frac{z^n-1}{z-1}\vert^2=\prod\limits_{k=1}^{n-1}\vert z-z_k\vert^2$$
We use now the inequality between the geometric and arithmetic means (and $z=x+ I y$):
$$\left( \prod\limits_{k=1}^{n-1}\vert z-z_k\vert^2 \right)^{\frac{1}{n-1}}\le\frac{\sum\limits_{k=1}^{n-1}\vert z-z_k\vert^2}{n-1}=\frac{\sum\limits_{k=1}^{n-1}(1+x^2+y^2-2x\cos\theta_k-2y\sin\theta_k)}{n-1}=1+x^2+y^2+2\frac{x}{n-1},$$
where we used the above-derived equalities for the sum of $\sin$ and $\cos$.
Putting it all together: 
$$\vert\frac{z^n-1}{z-1}\vert^2 \le (1+\vert z\vert^2+2\frac{\Re(z)}{n-1})^{n-1}$$.
We can re-state the problem also as:
"For an arbitrary point in a plane, the squared product of distances to the vertices of any regular polygon inscribed in the unit circle (with $n$ vertices, that contains the point $(1,0)$, which is not to be included in the product), is at most equal to the power $n-1$ of the sum of the squared distance to the point $(-\frac{1}{n-1},0)$ and the constant $1-(\frac{1}{n-1})^2$ ". 
The minimum of the right-hand side term reads: $\left[ 1-(\frac{1}{n-1})^2\right]^{n-1}$. Notably is the limit of it, for $n \to \infty$.