Questions tagged [divergent-series]
The divergent-series tag has no usage guidance.
131 questions
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Does any method of summing divergent series work on the harmonic series?
It's sort of folklore (as exemplified by this old post at The Everything Seminar) that none of the common techniques for summing divergent series work to give a meaningful value to the harmonic series,...
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Is there a "quantum" Riemann zeta function?
Occasionally I find myself in a situation where a naive, non-rigorous computation leads me to a divergent sum, like $\sum_{n=1}^\infty n$. In times like these, a standard approach is to guess the ...
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1+2+3+4+… and −⅛
Is there some deeper meaning to the following derivation (or rather one-parameter family of derivations) associating the divergent series $1+2+3+4+…$ with the value $-\frac 1 8$ (as opposed to the ...
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Does the equation $1 + 2 + 3 + \dots = -\frac{1}{12}$ have a natural $p$-adic interpretation?
Consider the equation
$$1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + \cdots = - \frac{1}{12},$$
"proved" by Ramanujan Euler. One correct way to interpret this is that $\zeta(-1) = - \frac{1}{12},$ where $\zeta(s) = \sum_{n = 1}^{\...
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Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant?
Let $p_n$ be the $n$th degree polynomial that sends $\frac{k(k-1)}{2}$ to $\frac{k(k+1)}{2}$ for $k=1,2,...,n+1$. E.g., $p_2(x) = (6+13x -x^2)/6$ is the unique quadratic polynomial $p(x)$ satisfying $...
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Summation methods for divergent series
There are many methods for assigning a value to a series that diverges, e.g. zeta function regularization, Abel summation, Cesaro summation, etc. From all of the examples I've found, two methods ...
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Do Abel summation and zeta summation always coincide?
This is a more focused version of Summation methods for divergent series.
Let $a_n$ be a sequence of real
numbers such that $\lim_{x \to 1^{-}}
> \sum a_n x^n$ and $\lim_{s \to 0^{+}}
> \...
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Is there any sequence $a_n$ of nonnegative numbers for which $\sum_{n \geq 1}a_n^2 <\infty$ and $\sum_{n \geq 1}\left(\sum_{k \geq 1}\frac{a_{kn}}{k}\right)^2=\infty$?
Is there any sequence $a_n$ of nonnegative numbers for which $\displaystyle\sum_{n \geq 1}a_n^2 <\infty$ and
$$\sum_{n \geq 1}\left(\sum_{k \geq 1}\frac{a_{kn}}{k}\right)^2=\infty\quad?$$
See ...
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Can we just use the linear term of exponential sums to sum divergent series
Suppose you want to compute the sum $\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} a_n $
You could consider the expression $f(x) = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} e^{a_n x}$ and try to compute the coefficient of an $x^1$ term in the ...
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What is the relationship between $\sum_{n=0}^\infty f(n) x^n$ and $-\sum_{n=1}^\infty f(-n) x^{-n}$?
Background
Taking a relatively arbitrary combination of exponential and polynomial terms, for instance
$$\sum_{n=0}^\infty \left(n^{2}\sin\left(n\right)+n\cos\left(3n-2\right)\right)\cos\left(5n+1\...
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Does summing divergent series using cutoff functions give consistent results?
One way to try to give a value $S$ to a divergent series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty a_n$ is with a smooth cutoff function:
$$
S = \lim_{N\to\infty}\sum_{n=1}^\infty a_n \eta\left(\frac{n}{N}\right)
$$
where $\...
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What's the cell structure of K(Z/nZ, 1)? Does it let me sum this divergent series? What about other finite groups?
The Eilenberg-Maclane space $K(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}, 1)$ has a particularly simple cell structure: it has exactly one cell of each dimension. This means that its "Euler characteristic" should be ...
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Divergent series & continued fraction (from Gauss' mathematical diary)
I've asked that question before on History of Science and Mathematics but haven't received an answer
Does someone have a reference or further explanation on Gauß' entry from May 24, 1796 in his ...
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Regularizing the divergent sum $1^k + 2^k + \cdots$
EDIT:
Under this "regularization", the harmonic series can be interpreted as $s_{-1}$ and assigned a value $$s_{-1} = \lim_{k \rightarrow 1} \zeta(k) (2-2^k) = -2 \log 2$$
I was looking at ...
user11000
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Generalizations of summation methods of divergence series
If one looks at the "summation proofs" of divergent series such as Grandi's series, one might see a pattern that most of the computation rely on linearity and comparability with the shift ...
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Is there an algebra for divergent series summation operators?
Let $D$ denote a divergent series and let $C$ denote a convergent series.
Furthermore, let $s : $ { Series } $\to$ $\mathbb{C}$ be a regular, linear divergent series operator, which is either one ...
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Cesaro(?)/Euler(?) - summation of the $s(p)=\sum_{k=0}^\infty (-1)^{H(k)} (1+k)^p$ for $p=1,2,3,...$ (where $H(k)$ is the Hamming-weight)
In another thread (in MO) there was a question about a series where the signs at the terms alternate with the "Hamming-weight", that means according to the number of bits in the binary representation ...
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Use of everywhere divergent generating functions
Generating functions are well-known to be much useful in combinatorics. But, maybe just since I am illiteral, all the applications coming in mind deal with power series, which are not just formal, but ...
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Divergent series summation beyond natural boundaries
I'm hoping to investigate the effects of divergent summation methods on series which cannot be analytically continued due to a dense set of singularities. At least a priori, it doesn't seem that a ...
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Dimensional regularization in odd dimensions
I am not quite sure that my question below is appropriate for this site, probably it should be addressed to the physical commutity. But I hope that some (mathematical) physicists do attend MO. I have ...
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If the generating function summation and zeta regularized sum of a divergent series exist, do they always coincide?
One could assign a value to divergent series by means of several summation methods. One summation method we could consider is the generating function method. Let's sum, for example, the fibonacci ...
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Defining the slowest divergent series
This question might seem too fuzzy, and if so, I will be happy to withdraw it. Until then, here it is:
I know that a method of slowing a divergent series of positive reals is to replace the $n$-th ...
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ζ(-n) and "powers" of Grandi's series
For n a non-negative integer, $ζ(-n)$ can be interpreted as assigning a value to the (divergent) series $1^n+2^n+3^n+4^n+\cdots$
A value can also be assigned to the related series ${n+0 \choose n}+{n+...
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Converse to Erdős' conjecture on arithmetic progressions
I apologise in advance if this has been asked here before. I did a search and did not find anything obvious. Erdős' conjecture states that if $A\subseteq {\bf N}$ is such that $\sum_{n\in A} n^{-1}$ ...
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Value of divergent sum $\sum_{n=0}^\infty (-1)^n n^n$
I'm hoping to find a reasonable value to assign to the divergent series $\sum_{n=0}^\infty (-1)^n n^n$ and $\sum_{n=0}^\infty (-1)^n (xn)^n$. For the first one, I have obtained something around 0.71, ...
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Regularized sums of Mobius sequence
Do $\lim_{s \rightarrow \infty} \sum_{n \geq 1} \mu(n) e^{-n/s}$ and $\lim_{s \rightarrow \infty} \sum_{n \geq 1} \mu(n) e^{-n^2/s^2}$ both equal $-2$?
Experimentally this seems plausible (up through ...
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Abel summation of the alternating series of primes?
Consider the ordinary generating function of the sequence of primes ($2+3x+5x^2+7x^3 + ...$); by the ratio test and the prime number theorem, its radius of convergence is $1$. Thus, we might well ask ...
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To what extent is it possible to generalise a natural bijection between trees and $7$-tuples of trees, suggested by divergent series?
This is a cross-post from MSE.
In the paper "Seven Trees In One" by Andreas Blass, a "very explicit" bijection is found between trees and 7-tuples of such trees.
The idea to construct such a ...
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Can one define "Ramanujan Summation" over algebraic number fields?
With some trepidation, I ask to "evaluate" badly divergent sums. Generalizing $\sum n = -\tfrac{1}{12}$ what would be the value of this sum over $\mathbb{Z}[i]$?
$$\sum_{m,n \geq 0} (m+in) \hspace{0....
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What are some geometric / physical / probabilistic interpretations of the Riemann zeta function at integer arguments n ≤ 1?
Introduction: This is slightly edited and generalised version of a question I asked on the Physics Stack Exchange website. This question has a twin brother asked here on MO, only now we consider ...
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Divergence of Dirichlet series
Suppose $s$ is a complex number with $\Re(s) \in (0,1]$ and $\{a_n\}$ is a complex sequence converging to $a \neq 0$. Must the Dirichlet series $$\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{a_n}{n^s}$$ diverge?
I asked ...
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Values of the Riemann zeta function and the Ramanujan summation - How strong is the connection?
(This Question was taken from MSE. As Eric Naslund pointed out there, this question is relevant. The summation method mentioned in this question is actually a good answer to it.)
The Ramanujan ...
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Switching the order of a summation and replacing a series by its analytical continuation
Background
A useful trick when trying to analyze a series $\sum_{n=0}^\infty f(n)$ is to expand $f(n)$ as some kind of series, swap the order of summation, and then evaluate the inner infinite sum. ...
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Summing a divergent series and a constant combined
At least according to the answer to this question, $\zeta(1) = \gamma $ (once reqularized, of course).
Let me rephrase that by stating that:
$$ \sigma(\zeta(1)) = \gamma $$
Here, $\sigma(x)$ is the ...
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Uses of Divergent Series and their summation-values in mathematics?
This question was posed originally on MSE, I put it here because I didn't receive the answer(s) I wished to see.
Dear MO-Community,
When I was trying to find closed-form representations for odd zeta-...
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Is it possible to sum the divergent series with prime coefficients?
It is known that the series $$ P := \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} p_{n} \qquad \text{where } p_{n} \text{ is the n'th prime} $$ cannot be summed by means of (prime) zeta function regularization. (The result was ...
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Divergent series expansion in Apéry's proof of the irrationality of $\zeta(2)$ and $\zeta(3)$
UPDATE. I am now making this a CW in the hope someone can improve the content of this question and/or correct the text.
This is a concise version of this math.SE question of mine. I've got an answer ...
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Is regularization of infinite sums by analytic continuation unique?
There are ill-posed summations that we can assign values to, take for concreteness,
$$ S = \sum_{k=0}^\infty k $$
to which we can assign $-1/12$ by several methods. Is there a fundamental and rigorous ...
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If $f(x) = \sum_{n=0}^\infty a_n x^n$, then $\int_{-\infty}^\infty f(x^2) dx = \pi i a_{-\frac{1}{2}}$
I've noticed a curious relationship between the coefficient $a_n$ for a power series and the integral of the real line. For instance, take $f(x) = e^{-x} = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac{(-1)^n}{n!} x^n$. ...
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Regularizing the sum of all primes
In the spirit of a similar question for the harmonic series, is there a way to regularize the (divergent) sum of all primes?
$$ \sum_{p \text{ prime}} p $$
Neither of these questions obtained a ...
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Adrastus, Proclus, and 2+8+50+288+… vs. 1+9+49+289+…
According to the MacTutor essay "D'Arcy Thompson on Greek irrationals" (which I take to be a version of Thompson's original essay whose only liberty with the original text is giving English ...
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Gottfried Helms' tetra-eta series
Here Gottfried Helms introduces the following fascinating divergent series
$$ T_2(x)=- \sum_{n=1}^\infty (-1)^n n^{n^x}$$
The terms don't go to zero, so technically the series does not converge ...
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Procedure-based (as opposed to definition-based) concepts
Euler's work on divergent series was guided by computational procedures, rather than any definition of the "value" of such a series. E.g., he was happy to have half a dozen procedures that ...
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Riemann surface from Riccati equation
I have quite a practical question motivated by physics.
Consider the Riccati equation whose solution gives a quantum-mechanical (QM) analogue of the classical momentum:
$$
(p(x))^2 + \dfrac{\hbar}{i}...
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Summating divergent series arising from the application of the Euler-Maclaurin formula to power law functions with non-integer exponents
As the title says, I'm stuck trying to find an expression for $\sum_{n=a}^b n^{q}$, with q being a positive rational number but not an integer, which does not demand unfeasibly long computation times ...
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Efficient (divergent) summation for sum of zetas at negative arguments?
In a question in MSE (see bottom of my own answer) I'm considering the following series, depending on a parameter m:
$$ L(m) = -\zeta(1m)/1 - \zeta(2m)/2 - \zeta(3m)/3 - \ldots $$
where I want to make ...
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Fractional integrals and $\sum f(n) n^x$
Preamble
The following is a rather unrigorous way to obtain the Euler-Maclaurin formula. Consider some $\sum_{n=1}^\infty f(n)$. We may rewrite this as
$$\sum_{n=1}^\infty f(n)=\sum_{n=1}^\infty \sum_{...
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How to find the coefficients of a poor-converging series?
I have the series
$\psi(r,\theta;p)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} a_n J_{\pi n/\Phi}(p r)\cos(\pi n \theta/\Phi)$
and the boundary conditions
$\psi(r,\pm\Phi;p)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} a_n J_{\pi n/\Phi}(p ...
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Computing residues at $\infty$
As an initial note, let me show by example what I mean by the terminology 'residue at $\infty$' I use in the title. I assume there is some standard terminology for this stuff, so I'd appreciate it if ...
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Is there any intuition of why the both, regularized logarithm of zero is $-\gamma$ and the regularized logarithm of Bernoulli umbra is $-\gamma$?
If we take the MacLaurin series for $\ln(x+1)$ and evaluate it at $x=-1$, we will get the Harmonic series with the opposite sign: $-\sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac1x$. Since the regularized sum of the ...
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