Another transposed harmonic alternating series

Calculus Level 5

k = 1 c ( 1 2 k ) 1 + k = c + 1 2 c ( 1 2 k ) 1 3 + k = 2 c + 1 3 c ( 1 2 k ) 1 5 + = 1 2 ln 5 4 \large \sum_{k=1}^{c} \left(\dfrac{1}{2k}\right)-1+\sum_{k=c+1}^{2c} \left(\dfrac{1}{2k}\right)-\dfrac{1}{3}+\sum_{k=2c+1}^{3c}\left(\dfrac{1}{2k}\right)-\dfrac{1}{5}+\cdots=\dfrac{1}{2}\ln\frac{5}{4}

In the previous series, the number c c is a positive integer and the sum of the series is the number 1 2 ln 5 4 \dfrac{1}{2}\ln\dfrac{5}{4} . Find the value of c c if there is any, otherwise, enter a 666 as your answer.


Inspiration .


The answer is 5.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

2 solutions

Arturo Presa
May 13, 2016

Let us use the notation H n = 1 + 1 2 + 1 3 + . . . + 1 n . H_n=1+\frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{3}+...+\frac{1}{n}. The number H n H_n is called the n t h n^{th} - harmonic number. If we add the first ( c + 1 ) n (c+1)n first terms of the given series, we obtain the following expression S ( c + 1 ) n = k = 1 c n 1 2 k k = 1 n 1 2 k 1 = k = 1 c n 1 2 k k = 1 n 1 2 k k = 1 n 1 2 k 1 + k = 1 n 1 2 k . S_{(c+1)n}=\sum_{k=1}^{cn} \frac{1}{2k}-\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{2k-1}=\sum_{k=1}^{cn} \frac{1}{2k}-\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{2k}-\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{2k-1}+\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{2k}. = k = 1 c n 1 2 k k = 1 2 n 1 k + k = 1 n 1 2 k . =\sum_{k=1}^{cn} \frac{1}{2k}-\sum_{k=1}^{2n}\frac{1}{k}+\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{2k}. Thus we have got that: S ( c + 1 ) n = 1 2 H c n H 2 n + 1 2 H n . S_{(c+1)n}=\frac{1}{2}H_{cn}-H_{2n}+\frac{1}{2}H_n. Therefore, S ( c + 1 ) n = 1 2 ( H c n ln c n ) ( H 2 n ln 2 n ) + 1 2 ( H n ln n ) + 1 2 ln c n ln 2 n + 1 2 ln n S_{(c+1)n}=\frac{1}{2}(H_{cn}-\ln{cn})-(H_{2n}-\ln{2n})+\frac{1}{2}(H_n-\ln n)+\frac{1}{2}\ln{cn}-\ln{2n}+\frac{1}{2}\ln{n} = 1 2 ( H c n ln c n ) ( H 2 n ln 2 n ) + 1 2 ( H n ln n ) + 1 2 ln c 4 . =\frac{1}{2}(H_{cn}-\ln{cn})-(H_{2n}-\ln{2n})+\frac{1}{2}(H_n-\ln n)+\frac{1}{2}\ln{\frac{c}{4}}. Now using that lim n ( H n ln n ) = γ , \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}(H_n-\ln n)=\gamma, where γ \gamma is the Euler–Mascheroni constant, and that the sum of the given series is 1 2 ln 5 4 \frac{1}{2}\ln\frac{5}{4} , we obtain that lim n S ( c + 1 ) n = 1 2 ln c 4 = 1 2 ln 5 4 , \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty} S_{(c+1)n}=\frac{1}{2}\ln{\frac{c}{4}}=\frac{1}{2}\ln\frac{5}{4}, and therefore is easy to see that c = 5 . \boxed{c=5}. For our solution to be complete, we would need to prove that our series converges when c = 5. c=5. The previous calculations show that lim n S 6 n = 1 2 ln 5 4 . \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}S_{6n}=\frac{1}{2}\ln\frac{5}{4}. To prove that S n S_n converges to the same value, it would be enough to show that any subsequence of the form S 6 n + r , S_{6n+r}, where r { 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 } , r\in\{1, 2, 3, 4, 5\}, converges also to 1 2 ln 5 4 \frac{1}{2}\ln\frac{5}{4} , which is not difficult to obtain if you realize that lim n ( S 6 n + r S 6 n ) = 0 \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}(S_{6n+r}-S_{6n})=0 for any such a number r . r.

Lovely problem and careful solution (+1) Thanks!

Otto Bretscher - 5 years, 1 month ago

Log in to reply

Thank you, compañero. Right now I was fixing a typo. I put x x instead of n n at two places. But Otto, I don't know what problem is difficult for you. You solve everything in just few minutes.

Arturo Presa - 5 years, 1 month ago

Log in to reply

Your problems are always interesting and thought-provoking, compañero... I drop everything I'm doing and attempt to solve them. I can see your fine Soviet training shining through ;)

Otto Bretscher - 5 years, 1 month ago

Log in to reply

@Otto Bretscher Thank you, Otto. I really appreciate.

Arturo Presa - 5 years, 1 month ago
Otto Bretscher
May 14, 2016

Compañero Presa has written a fine solution. For the sake of variety, let me group the terms in a different way:

Let S n S_n be the partial sum up to the term 1 2 n 1 -\frac{1}{2n-1} , for a fixed c c . Then S n = k = 1 2 n ( 1 ) k k + k = n + 1 c n 1 2 k S_n=\sum_{k=1}^{2n}\frac{(-1)^k}{k}+\sum_{k=n+1}^{cn}\frac{1}{2k} . The first summand tends to ln ( 2 ) -\ln(2) . The second summand is a right Riemann sum of 1 2 x \frac{1}{2x} for 1 x c 1\leq x\leq c , tending to ln ( c ) 2 \frac{\ln(c)}{2} . Thus lim n S n = 1 2 ln ( c 4 ) \lim_{n\to\infty}S_n=\frac{1}{2}\ln(\frac{c}{4}) , and c = 5 c=\boxed{5} . (Since the terms of the series tend to 0, all the partial sum will have the same limit.)

Moderator note:

Great solution! Very cleanly presented :)

Amazing, Otto! A lot simpler than mine!

Arturo Presa - 5 years, 1 month ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...