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for questions about sequences and series, e.g. convergence, closed form expressions, etc. Note that there is a different tag for spectral sequences, and also note that MathOverflow is not for homework. Please consider consulting the online encyclopedia for integer sequences, if you are trying to identify a given sequence that you have found in your research.
8
votes
Slick proof of Stirling's Formula?
I've played around with this a bit. I have a slick lower bound, but not a slick upper bound.
We start with the $ \Gamma $-integral:
$$
n! = \int_{x=0}^\infty x^n e^{-x} dx = \int_{y=-n}^\infty (n+y)^n …
6
votes
Accepted
Powers of $2$ up to $2^{m-1}$ from a polynomial of degree $m-1$
This is a fun problem! You start out by describing the conjectured coefficients of $P(n,m)$, but presumably you started out by computing the polynomial which interpolates $2^{n-1}$ and then noticed a …
9
votes
Reciprocals of Fibonacci numbers
Just to make the obvious comments:
Let $q = (1 - \sqrt{5})/2$. Then $F_n=((-q^{-1})^{n} - q^n)/\sqrt{5}$. So
$$\sum \frac{1}{F_n} = \sqrt{5} \sum \frac{q^n}{1-(-1)^n q^{2n}}.$$
This looks kind of like …
31
votes
Elementary proof of the equidistribution theorem
There is a really easy proof that just uses the Pigeonhole principle. Let $\alpha$ be irrational.
Lemma: For any $\delta >0$, there is an $n>0$ such that $(n \alpha) \in (- \delta, \delta) \setminus \ …
3
votes
On the Dirichlet series for $1/\zeta(s)$ for real $s$ and the zeros of zeta
Let $s_0>0$. The right statement is that the following are equivalent:
The sum $\sum_{n=1} \tfrac{\mu(n)}{n^s}$ converges for $s>s_0$.
$\zeta(s)$ has no zeroes with real part $>s_0$.
$1/\zeta(s)$ h …
10
votes
A possible surprise involving Euler's constant $e$
Sure.
$$c_n = \frac{1}{n+1} + \frac{1}{(n+1)(n+2)}+ \frac{1}{(n+1)(n+2)(n+3)} \cdots$$
so
$$\frac{1}{n+1} < c_n < \frac{1}{n+1}+\frac{1}{(n+1)^2}+\frac{1}{(n+1)^3}+\cdots = \frac{1}{n}.$$
That prov …
9
votes
Optimal Talmudic Zigzag
This is a special case of finding the longest path in a directed acyclic graph. Namely, the vertices of our graph are $1$, $2$, ..., $n$, there is an edge $i \to j$ for each $i<j$ and the length of th …
24
votes
Rearrangements that never change the value of a sum
For the purpose of recording an answer rather than just a pile of links: Michael Hardy requires that
if either limit exists then so does the other and in that case then they are equal?
Let's cal …
7
votes
Accepted
Angle between two given vector is small. Can we permute coordinates of them such that new ve...
No. Let
$$\vec{x} = \vec{y} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{12+6 \sqrt{3}}} (-2-\sqrt{3},1,1+\sqrt{3}).$$
So $\vec{x} \cdot \vec{y} = 1$, but $x_1 y_2+x_2 y_1 + x_3 y_3=0$.
4
votes
Extremal problem for sequences
The ratio $\sqrt{2}/2$ is optimal. Set
$$a_n = \binom{n-7/4}{n-1} r^n \ \mbox{for} \ n \geq 1.$$
Let $Y(r)$ and $X(r)$ be the corresponding sums.
I claim that
$$ \lim_{r \to 1^-} \frac{X(r)}{Y(r)} = …
10
votes
The coefficient of a specific monomial of the following polynomial
The coefficient is always zero. I use the superb conventions of Concrete Mathematics: Sums are over all integers unless otherwise indicated, and $\binom{n}{k}$ is $0$ if $k<0$ or $>n \geq 0$.
Expandi …
8
votes
When is there a closed form for $\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{P(n)}{Q(n)}$?
As GH from MO says, it depends what you think is a closed form.
Any function of the form $P(n)/Q(n)$ with $\deg P \leq \deg Q -2$ can be written as a linear combination of $1/(n+1) - 1/(n+\alpha)$ an …
6
votes
Accepted
What is the rate of convergence?
Putting $x_n = 1+y_n$, we have $y_{n+1} = y_n + \frac{y_n^2}{2}$. There is a standard method for analyzing recursions of the form $y_{n+1} = y_n+O(y_n^2)$. A good introduction is chapter 8.4 in de Bru …
4
votes
Accepted
On one class of Somos-like sequences
I believe this is a special case of Case (9) in Theorem 3.9 of Allman, Cuenca and Huang. By the way, this paper was an REU project!
20
votes
Does this sequence always give an integer?
This is the special case $(p,q,r)=(1,2,3)$ of the $3$-term Gale-Robinson recurrence:
$$x_{n+p+q+r} x_n = x_{n+p} x_{n+q+r} + x_{n+q} x_{n+p+r} + x_{n+p+q} x_{n+r}$$
Fomin and Zelevinsky proved that, …