It's kinda weird summation

Calculus Level 5

k = 1 ( 1 ) k + 1 sin ( k ) k 3 \large \sum_{k=1}^{\infty} \dfrac{(-1)^{k+1} \sin(k)}{k^3}

If the above sum can be represented as π a b c \dfrac{\pi^a - b}{c} for positive integers a a , b b and c c , find the value of a + b + c a+b+c .

Clarification : Angles are measured in radians.


The answer is 15.

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.

1 solution

Mark Hennings
Nov 30, 2015

The function f ( x ) = 1 12 ( π 2 x x 3 ) , x π , f(x) \; =\; \tfrac{1}{12}(\pi^2 x - x^3) \;, \qquad \qquad |x| \le \pi \;, is odd and continuous. Since f ( π ) = f ( π ) = 0 f(\pi) = f(-\pi) = 0 , it can be extended to a continuous function on R \mathbf{R} which is odd and periodic of period π \pi . The Fourier series of this function is k = 1 ( 1 ) k + 1 k 3 sin k x . \sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{(-1)^{k+1}}{k^3}\sin kx \;. Because f f is continuous, and the left- and right-derivatives exist at x x for all x π |x| \le \pi , the Fourier series of f f converges to f ( x ) f(x) for all x π |x| \le \pi . Putting x = 1 x=1 gives k = 1 ( 1 ) k + 1 k 3 sin k = 1 12 ( π 2 1 ) , \sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{(-1)^{k+1}}{k^3} \sin k \; =\; \tfrac{1}{12}(\pi^2 - 1) \;, and so the answer is 2 + 1 + 12 = 15 2 + 1 + 12 = 15 .

How do you know we must start with f ( x ) = 1 12 ( π 2 x x 3 ) f(x) = \frac1{12} (\pi^2 x - x^3) ? Seems like it appeared out of thin air.

Pi Han Goh - 5 years, 6 months ago

Log in to reply

In one sense it did. I knew that Fourier series like this exist, and I initially solved the problem by looking it up in Gradshteyn and Rhyzik.

We could work out what f ( x ) f(x) had to be with a little thought, though. Suppose that f ( x ) f(x) is an odd polynomial in x x . The Fourier sine series of f ( x ) f(x) is f ( x ) = k = 1 a k sin k x f(x) \; = \; \sum_{k=1}^\infty a_k \sin kx where a k = 1 π π π f ( x ) sin k x d x k 1 . a_k \; = \; \frac{1}{\pi} \int_{-\pi}^\pi f(x)\,\sin kx\,dx \qquad \qquad k \ge 1 \;. Integrating by parts gives a k = [ 1 π k f ( x ) cos k x ] π π + 1 k π π π f ( x ) cos k x d x ; a_k \; = \; \Big[ -\frac{1}{\pi k}f(x) \cos kx \Big]_{-\pi}^\pi + \frac{1}{k\pi}\int_{-\pi}^\pi f'(x) \cos kx\,dx \;; Since we want a k = ( 1 ) k + 1 k 3 a_k \,=\, (-1)^{k+1} k^{-3} , we had better have f ( π ) = f ( π ) = 0 f(\pi) = f(-\pi) =0 to make the cross term disappear. Thus π 2 x 2 \pi^2 - x^2 must be a factor of f ( x ) f(x) . Integrating by parts two more times gives a k = 1 k π π π f ( x ) cos k x d x = [ 1 k 2 π f ( x ) sin k x ] π π 1 k 2 π π π f ( x ) sin k x d x = 1 k 2 π π π f ( x ) sin k x d x = [ 1 k 3 π f ( x ) cos k x ] π π 1 k 3 π π π f ( x ) cos k x d x \begin{array}{rcl} a_k & = & \displaystyle \frac{1}{k\pi}\int_{-\pi}^\pi f'(x)\cos kx\,dx \; = \; \Big[\frac{1}{k^2\pi} f'(x)\sin kx \Big]_{-\pi}^\pi - \frac{1}{k^2\pi}\int_{-\pi}^\pi f''(x)\, \sin kx\,dx \\ & = & \displaystyle-\frac{1}{k^2\pi}\int_{-\pi}^\pi f''(x)\,\sin kx\,dx \; = \; \Big[\frac{1}{k^3\pi} f''(x)\cos kx\Big]_{-\pi}^\pi - \frac{1}{k^3\pi}\int_{-\pi}^\pi f'''(x)\cos kx\,dx \end{array}
If we try having f ( x ) f(x) cubic then (since f ( x ) f(x) is odd), we need f ( x ) = α x ( π 2 x 2 ) f(x) = \alpha x(\pi^2 - x^2) , so that f ( x ) = 6 α x f''(x) = -6\alpha x and f ( x ) = 6 α f'''(x) = -6\alpha , and hence a k = [ 6 α k 3 π x cos k x ] π π + 6 α k 3 π π π cos k x d x = ( 1 ) k + 1 12 α k 3 a_k \; = \; \Big[ - \frac{6\alpha}{k^3 \pi}x \cos kx \Big]_{-\pi}^\pi + \frac{6\alpha}{k^3\pi}\int_{-\pi}^\pi \cos kx\,dx \; = \; (-1)^{k+1} \frac{12\alpha}{k^3} which tells us that α = 1 12 \alpha = \tfrac{1}{12} , as desired.

Mark Hennings - 5 years, 6 months ago

Log in to reply

Wow. I never seen this technique before! Most the textbook I that I've learned from has already provided the function of f ( x ) f(x) beforehand. Thank you! Let me print this out.

You might like this other Fourier Series question.

Pi Han Goh - 5 years, 6 months ago

Its (-Li3(-e^i) + Li3(-e^-i))/2i Where i represents iota and three is subscript of Li

Aakash Khandelwal - 5 years, 4 months ago

@Pi Han Goh Sir, to determine the initial function, we can also use an approach similar to the one given in this solution.........

Aaghaz Mahajan - 2 years, 4 months ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...