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Questions tagged [sequences-and-series]

For questions concerning sequences and series. Typical questions concern, but are not limited to: identifying sequences, identifying terms, recurrence relations, $\epsilon-N$ proofs of convergence, convergence tests, finding closed forms for sums. For questions on finite sums, use the (summation) tag instead.

81 votes
13 answers
8k views

What is an example of a sequence which "thins out" and is finite?

When I talk about my research with non-mathematicians who are, however, interested in what I do, I always start by asking them basic questions about the primes. Usually, they start getting reeled in ...
tomos's user avatar
  • 1,662
81 votes
2 answers
3k views

Visual proof of $\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{1}{n^4} = \frac{\pi^4}{90}$?

In his gorgeous paper "How to compute $\sum \frac{1}{n^2}$ by solving triangles", Mikael Passare offers this idea for proving $\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{1}{n^2} = \frac{\pi^2}{6}$: Proof of equality ...
VividD's user avatar
  • 16k
80 votes
12 answers
11k views

The limit of truncated sums of harmonic series, $\lim\limits_{k\to\infty}\sum_{n=k+1}^{2k}{\frac{1}{n}}$

What is the sum of the 'second half' of the harmonic series? $$\lim_{k\to\infty}\sum\limits_{n=k+1}^{2k}{\frac{1}{n}} =~ ?$$ More precisely, what is the limit of the above sequence of partial sums?
Daniel Pietrobon's user avatar
80 votes
8 answers
11k views

How to prove this identity $\pi=\sum\limits_{k=-\infty}^{\infty}\left(\frac{\sin(k)}{k}\right)^{2}\;$?

How to prove this identity? $$\pi=\sum_{k=-\infty}^{\infty}\left(\dfrac{\sin(k)}{k}\right)^{2}\;$$ I found the above interesting identity in the book $\bf \pi$ Unleashed. Does anyone knows how to ...
Neves's user avatar
  • 5,627
78 votes
6 answers
13k views

Is there a slowest rate of divergence of a series?

$$f(n)=\sum_{i=1}^n\frac{1}{i}$$ diverges slower than $$g(n)=\sum_{i=1}^n\frac{1}{\sqrt{i}}$$ , by which I mean $\lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}(g(n)-f(n))=\infty$. Similarly, $\ln(n)$ diverges as fast as $...
Meow's user avatar
  • 6,413
78 votes
5 answers
12k views

Help me solve my father's riddle and get my book back

My father is a mathteacher and as such he regards asking tricky questions and playing mathematical pranks on me once in a while as part of his parental duty. So today before leaving home he sneaked ...
user avatar
76 votes
4 answers
118k views

$\sum k! = 1! +2! +3! + \cdots + n!$ ,is there a generic formula for this?

I came across a question where I needed to find the sum of the factorials of the first $n$ numbers. So I was wondering if there is any generic formula for this? Like there is a generic formula for the ...
vikiiii's user avatar
  • 2,689
76 votes
4 answers
8k views

"Closed" form for $\sum \frac{1}{n^n}$

Earlier today, I was talking with my friend about some "cool" infinite series and the value they converge to like the Basel problem, Madhava-Leibniz formula for $\pi/4, \log 2$ and similar alternating ...
user avatar
73 votes
6 answers
25k views

$1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 \ldots = -1$ paradox

I puzzled two high school Pre-calc math teachers today with a little proof (maybe not) I found a couple years ago that infinity is equal to -1: Let x equal the geometric series: $1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 \...
Christian's user avatar
  • 841
69 votes
5 answers
9k views

Does every prime divide some Fibonacci number?

I am tring to show that $\forall a \in \Bbb P\; \exists n\in\Bbb N : a|F_n$, where $F$ is the fibonacci sequence defined as $\{F_n\}:F_0 = 0, F_1 = 1, F_n = F_{n-1} + F_{n-2}$ $(n=2,3,...)$. How can ...
Chanhee Jeong's user avatar
68 votes
1 answer
3k views

Evaluating $\sum\limits_{x=2}^\infty \frac{1}{!x}$ in exact form.

Introduction: We know that: $$\sum_{x=0}^\infty \frac{1}{x!}=e$$ But what if we replaced $x!$ with $!x$ also called the subfactorial function also called the $x$th derangement number? This ...
Тyma Gaidash's user avatar
67 votes
6 answers
9k views

$n$th derivative of $e^{1/x}$

I am trying to find the $n$'th derivative of $f(x)=e^{1/x}$. When looking at the first few derivatives I noticed a pattern and eventually found the following formula $$\frac{\mathrm d^n}{\mathrm dx^n}...
Listing's user avatar
  • 14k
67 votes
4 answers
4k views

Does the series $ \sum\limits_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^{1 + |\sin(n)|}} $ converge or diverge?

Does the following series converge or diverge? I would like to see a demonstration. $$ \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^{1 + |\sin(n)|}}. $$ I can see that: $$ \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^{1 + |\...
user avatar
67 votes
1 answer
2k views

How to prove this recurrence relation for generalized "rounding up to $\pi$"?

The webpage Rounding Up To $\pi$ defines a certain "rounding up" function by an extremely simple procedure: Beginning with any positive integer $n$, round up to the nearest multiple of $n-1$...
r.e.s.'s user avatar
  • 15.1k
66 votes
18 answers
9k views

Is there a simple function that generates the series; $1,1,2,1,1,2,1,1,2...$ or $-1,-1,1,-1,-1,1...$ [closed]

I'm thinking about this question in the sense that we often have a term $(-1)^n$ for an integer $n$, so that we get a sequence $1,-1,1,-1...$ but I'm trying to find an expression that only gives every ...
Kristaps John Balodis's user avatar

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