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denis
Lv 4
denis asked in Science & MathematicsMathematics · 6 years ago

0 to infinity Σsin(14/n) - sin(14/(n+1)) = sin14? why?

Infinite Σsin(14/n) diverges, so does Σsin(14/(n+1))... how come

infinite Σsin(14/n) - sin(14/(n+1)) = sin14?

3 Answers

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  • 6 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    You have one summation sign, not two. That makes a big difference here.

    Each term consists of the difference of two terms.

    S1 = first term = sin(14) - sin(14/2).

    S2 = sum of first 2 terms = sin(14) - sin(14/2) + sin(14/2) - sin(14/3) = sin(14) - sin(14/3)

    S3 = sum of first 3 terms = sin(14) - sin(14/3) + sin(14/3) - sin(14/4) = sin(14) - sin(14/4)

    etc

    Sn = sum of first n terms = sin(14) - sin(14/(n+1))

    lim (n->infinity) Sn = lim(n->infinity) sin(14) - sin(14/(n+1)) = sin(14)

    You can't rearrange that one sum into the two separate diverging sums, because rearranging is only valid when the two individual sums converge.

    Here's a more obvious (I hope) example.

    Suppose a_n = n - n for all n?

    Then obviously a_n = 0 for all n, and Sn = sum(k=1,n) a_n = 0, and lim(n->infinity) Sn = 0.

    But can't I just rewrite sum(n - n) as sum(n) - sum(n), both of which diverge? Answer: no.

  • Expand it out

    sin(14/1) - sin(14/2) + sin(14/2) - sin(14/3) + sin(14/3) - sin(14/3) + .... - sin(14/(n + 1))

    n goes to infinity, so sin(14/(n + 1)) goes to sin(0), which is 0

    Now we have:

    sin(14/1) + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + ... + sin(0) =>

    sin(14) + sin(0) =>

    sin(14) + 0 =>

    sin(14)

    Telescoping series. Learn them, love them.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    Σ[n=0 to infinity] sin(14/(n+1)) = Σ[n=1 to infinity] sin(14/(n))

    Σ[n=0 to infinity] sin(14/(n) - Σ[n=1 to infinity] sin(14/(n))

    sin 14 + Σ[n=1 to infinity] sin(14/(n) - Σ[n=1 to infinity] sin(14/(n))

    sin 14

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