Direct Comparison Test
In mathematics, the comparison test, sometimes called the direct comparison test to distinguish it from similar related tests (especially the limit comparison test), provides a way of deducing the convergence or divergence of an infinite series or an improper integral. In both cases, the test works by comparing the given series or integral to one whose convergence properties are known. For series In calculus, the comparison test for series typically consists of a pair of statements about infinite series with non-negative (real-valued) terms: * If the infinite series \sum b_n converges and 0 \le a_n \le b_n for all sufficiently large ''n'' (that is, for all n>N for some fixed value ''N''), then the infinite series \sum a_n also converges. * If the infinite series \sum b_n diverges and 0 \le b_n \le a_n for all sufficiently large ''n'', then the infinite series \sum a_n also diverges. Note that the series having larger terms is sometimes said to ''dominate'' (or ''eventually domi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics with the major subdisciplines of number theory, algebra, geometry, and analysis, respectively. There is no general consensus among mathematicians about a common definition for their academic discipline. Most mathematical activity involves the discovery of properties of abstract objects and the use of pure reason to prove them. These objects consist of either abstractions from nature orin modern mathematicsentities that are stipulated to have certain properties, called axioms. A ''proof'' consists of a succession of applications of deductive rules to already established results. These results include previously proved theorems, axioms, andin case of abstraction from naturesome basic properties that are considered true starting points of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cauchy Sequence
In mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ..., a Cauchy sequence (; ), named after Augustin-Louis Cauchy, is a sequence whose Element (mathematics), elements become arbitrarily close to each other as the sequence progresses. More precisely, given any small positive distance, all but a finite number of elements of the sequence are less than that given distance from each other. It is not sufficient for each term to become arbitrarily close to the term. For instance, in the sequence of square roots of natural numbers: a_n=\sqrt n, the consecutive terms become arbitrarily close to each other: a_-a_n = \sqrt-\sqrt = \frac d. (Actually, any m > \left(\sqrt + d\right)^2 suffices.) As a result, despite how far one goes, the remaining terms of the sequence never get c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Monotone Convergence Theorem
In the mathematical field of real analysis, the monotone convergence theorem is any of a number of related theorems proving the convergence of monotonic sequences (sequences that are non-decreasing or non-increasing) that are also bounded. Informally, the theorems state that if a sequence is increasing and bounded above by a supremum, then the sequence will converge to the supremum; in the same way, if a sequence is decreasing and is bounded below by an infimum, it will converge to the infimum. Convergence of a monotone sequence of real numbers Lemma 1 If a sequence of real numbers is increasing and bounded above, then its supremum is the limit. Proof Let (a_n)_ be such a sequence, and let \ be the set of terms of (a_n)_ . By assumption, \ is non-empty and bounded above. By the least-upper-bound property of real numbers, c = \sup_n \ exists and is finite. Now, for every \varepsilon > 0, there exists N such that a_N > c - \varepsilon , since otherwise c - \varepsilon is an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Limit Comparison Test
In mathematics, the limit comparison test (LCT) (in contrast with the related direct comparison test) is a method of testing for the convergence of an infinite series. Statement Suppose that we have two series \Sigma_n a_n and \Sigma_n b_n with a_n\geq 0, b_n > 0 for all n. Then if \lim_ \frac = c with 0 < c < \infty , then either both series converge or both series diverge. Proof Because we know that for every there is a positive integer such that for all we have that , or equivalently : : : As we can choose to be sufficiently small such that |
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Integral Test For Convergence
In mathematics, the integral test for convergence is a method used to test infinite series of monotonous terms for convergence. It was developed by Colin Maclaurin and Augustin-Louis Cauchy and is sometimes known as the Maclaurin–Cauchy test. Statement of the test Consider an integer and a function defined on the unbounded interval , on which it is monotone decreasing. Then the infinite series :\sum_^\infty f(n) converges to a real number if and only if the improper integral :\int_N^\infty f(x)\,dx is finite. In particular, if the integral diverges, then the series diverges as well. Remark If the improper integral is finite, then the proof also gives the lower and upper bounds for the infinite series. Note that if the function f(x) is increasing, then the function -f(x) is decreasing and the above theorem applies. Proof The proof basically uses the comparison test, comparing the term with the integral of over the intervals and , respectively. The monotonous ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dominated Convergence Theorem
In measure theory, Lebesgue's dominated convergence theorem provides sufficient conditions under which almost everywhere convergence of a sequence of functions implies convergence in the ''L''1 norm. Its power and utility are two of the primary theoretical advantages of Lebesgue integration over Riemann integration. In addition to its frequent appearance in mathematical analysis and partial differential equations, it is widely used in probability theory, since it gives a sufficient condition for the convergence of expected values of random variables. Statement Lebesgue's dominated convergence theorem. Let (f_n) be a sequence of complex-valued measurable functions on a measure space . Suppose that the sequence converges pointwise to a function f and is dominated by some integrable function g in the sense that : , f_n(x), \le g(x) for all numbers ''n'' in the index set of the sequence and all points x\in S. Then ''f'' is integrable (in the Lebesgue sense) and : \lim_ \int_ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Convergence (mathematics)
In mathematics, a series is the sum of the terms of an infinite sequence of numbers. More precisely, an infinite sequence (a_0, a_1, a_2, \ldots) defines a series that is denoted :S=a_0 +a_1+ a_2 + \cdots=\sum_^\infty a_k. The th partial sum is the sum of the first terms of the sequence; that is, :S_n = \sum_^n a_k. A series is convergent (or converges) if the sequence (S_1, S_2, S_3, \dots) of its partial sums tends to a limit; that means that, when adding one a_k after the other ''in the order given by the indices'', one gets partial sums that become closer and closer to a given number. More precisely, a series converges, if there exists a number \ell such that for every arbitrarily small positive number \varepsilon, there is a (sufficiently large) integer N such that for all n \ge N, :\left , S_n - \ell \right , 1 produce a convergent series: *: ++++++\cdots = . * Alternating the signs of reciprocals of powers of 2 also produces a convergent series: *: -+-+-+\cdots = ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Convergence Tests
In mathematics, convergence tests are methods of testing for the convergence, conditional convergence, absolute convergence, interval of convergence or divergence of an infinite series \sum_^\infty a_n. List of tests Limit of the summand If the limit of the summand is undefined or nonzero, that is \lim_a_n \ne 0, then the series must diverge. In this sense, the partial sums are Cauchy only if this limit exists and is equal to zero. The test is inconclusive if the limit of the summand is zero. This is also known as the nth-term test, test for divergence, or the divergence test. Ratio test This is also known as d'Alembert's criterion. : Suppose that there exists r such that :: \lim_\left, \frac\ = r. : If ''r'' 1, then the series diverges. If ''r'' = 1, the ratio test is inconclusive, and the series may converge or diverge. Root test This is also known as the ''n''th root test or Cauchy's criterion. : Let :: r=\limsup_\sqrt : where \limsup denotes the limit superior (possib ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ratio Test
In mathematics, the ratio test is a test (or "criterion") for the convergence of a series :\sum_^\infty a_n, where each term is a real or complex number and is nonzero when is large. The test was first published by Jean le Rond d'Alembert and is sometimes known as d'Alembert's ratio test or as the Cauchy ratio test. The test The usual form of the test makes use of the limit The ratio test states that: * if ''L'' 1 then the series diverges; * if ''L'' = 1 or the limit fails to exist, then the test is inconclusive, because there exist both convergent and divergent series that satisfy this case. It is possible to make the ratio test applicable to certain cases where the limit ''L'' fails to exist, if limit superior and limit inferior are used. The test criteria can also be refined so that the test is sometimes conclusive even when ''L'' = 1. More specifically, let :R = \lim\sup \left, \frac\ :r = \lim\inf \left, \frac\. Then the ratio test states that: * if ''R'' 1, the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Continuous Function
In mathematics, a continuous function is a function such that a continuous variation (that is a change without jump) of the argument induces a continuous variation of the value of the function. This means that there are no abrupt changes in value, known as '' discontinuities''. More precisely, a function is continuous if arbitrarily small changes in its value can be assured by restricting to sufficiently small changes of its argument. A discontinuous function is a function that is . Up until the 19th century, mathematicians largely relied on intuitive notions of continuity, and considered only continuous functions. The epsilon–delta definition of a limit was introduced to formalize the definition of continuity. Continuity is one of the core concepts of calculus and mathematical analysis, where arguments and values of functions are real and complex numbers. The concept has been generalized to functions between metric spaces and between topological spaces. The latter are the mo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Partial Sum
In mathematics, a series is, roughly speaking, a description of the operation of adding infinitely many quantities, one after the other, to a given starting quantity. The study of series is a major part of calculus and its generalization, mathematical analysis. Series are used in most areas of mathematics, even for studying finite structures (such as in combinatorics) through generating functions. In addition to their ubiquity in mathematics, infinite series are also widely used in other quantitative disciplines such as physics, computer science, statistics and finance. For a long time, the idea that such a potentially infinite summation could produce a finite result was considered paradoxical. This paradox was resolved using the concept of a limit during the 17th century. Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the tortoise illustrates this counterintuitive property of infinite sums: Achilles runs after a tortoise, but when he reaches the position of the tortoise at the beginning of t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Limit Comparison Test
In mathematics, the limit comparison test (LCT) (in contrast with the related direct comparison test) is a method of testing for the convergence of an infinite series. Statement Suppose that we have two series \Sigma_n a_n and \Sigma_n b_n with a_n\geq 0, b_n > 0 for all n. Then if \lim_ \frac = c with 0 < c < \infty , then either both series converge or both series diverge. Proof Because we know that for every there is a positive integer such that for all we have that , or equivalently : : : As we can choose to be sufficiently small such that |