It's obvious that if d = 0 , then d + d + d + d + ⋯ is equal to 0.
But what is the value of the limit d → 0 + lim d + d + d + d + ⋯ ?
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We change d to x . We let y denote the radical expression and graph the following s q r t ( x + y ) = y . As x approaches 0 from the positive side, the expression approaches 1.
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α α 2 α 2 − d = d + d + d + d + … = d + d + d + d + … = d + d + d + d + … = α
Rearranging,
α 2 − α − d α = 0 = 2 1 ± 1 + 4 d
We can discard the negative root as our nested radical is clearly positive. Then,
d → 0 + lim d + d + d + d + … = d → 0 + lim 2 1 + 1 + 4 d = 2 1 + 1 = 1