MATH 131A, FALL 2006

HOMEWORK 6 SOLUTIONS

3.3, ex. 2: Claim 1: The sequence is bounded below by 1, i.e., xn > 1, for all n. This is true for
n = 1, by assumption. Assume xk > 1 for some k. Then 1/xk < 1, so
xk+1 = 2

1
> 2 1 = 1.
xk

Claim 1 follows by the PMI.

Claim 2: xn > xn+1 , for all n. For n = 1, we have
1
< x1 ,
x1

x2 = 2

since this inequality is equivalent to the true inequality x21 2x1 + 1 > 0. Assume xk+1 < xk , for
some k. Then 1/xk+1 > 1/xk , so
xk+2 = 2

1
xk+1

<2

1
= xk+1 .
xk

Claim 2 follows by the PMI. Since (xn ) is decreasing and bounded, it follows that it converges,
say to x. Letting n in xn+1 = 2 x1n yields
x=2

1
x

x2 2x + 1 = 0.

Therefore, x = 1.

3.3, ex. 4: Claim

1: (xn ) is increasing, i.e., xn xn+1 , for all n N. For n = 1,this is true,
since x1 = 1 < 3 = x2 . Assume xk xk+1 , for some k. Then xk+1 = 2 + xk 2 + xk+1 =
xk+2 . By the Principle of Mathematical Induction (PMI), it follows that (xn ) is increasing.
Claim 2: xn < 2, for all n
N. For n = 1, this is true since x1 = 1. Assume xk < 2, for

some k. Then xk+1 = 2 + xk < 2 + 2 = 2. By the PMI, claim 2 is true.

Since (xn ) is bounded above and increasing, it follows that it is convergent. Let x = limn xn .

Then, by letting n in xn+1 = 2 + xn (recall that xn+1 x, since (xn+1 ) is a subsequence

of (xn )), we obtain

x = 2 + x.
Squaring both sides and moving all the terms to the left-hand side, we obtain
x2 x 2 = 0.
The solutions to this quadratic equation are 1 and 2. Since xn 1, for all n, it follows that
x 1, so x = 2. Thus, xn 2, as n .

3.3, ex. 9: We construct a sequence (xn ) with the desired properties inductively. Since u = sup A,
there exists a A such that u 21 < a u. (Observe that a = u is allowed.) Define x1 = a.
Suppose that x1 , . . . , xn have been constructed so that x1 xn , xk A, and
u

1
< xk u,
2k
1

2
1
for all 1 k n. We now define xn+1 as follows. Let y = max{u 2n+1
, xn }. If y = u, define
xn+1 = y. If y < u, then there exists z A such that y < z u. We set xn+1 = z. Observe that
1
< xn+1 u.
xn xn+1 , xn+1 A and u 2n+1
This defines the sequence (xn ) inductively. By construction, (xn ) is increasing, in A, and it
converges to u.


3.3, ex. 12: Since

xn+1 xn =

1
> 0,
(n + 1)2

it follows that (xn ) is (strictly) increasing. Furthermore,

xn = 1 +

n
X
1
k2
k=2
n
X

1
k(k 1)
k=2

n 
X
1
1
=1+

k1 k
k=2

 
 


 

1
1 1
1 1
1
1
1
1
=1+ 1
+

+ +

2
2 3
3 4
n2 n1
n1 n
1
=1+1
n
< 2.
<1+

Therefore, xn < 2, for all n 2. Since (xn ) is increasing and bounded above, it converges.

Remark: The limit of this sequence equals 2 /6, but this is not easy to prove. The sum of the
above type,
n
X

(ak ak+1 ) = a1 an ,

k=1

is called a telescopic sum.

3.3, ex. 13: (a) We have:


1
1+
n

n+1

1
n


=

1
1+
n

n  n+1
n

e1 = e.

(b) Similarly,
1+

2n


=

1+

1
n

n 2

e2 .

(c) Analogously,


1
1+
n+1

(

n
=

1
1+
n+1

n
n+1 ) n+1

e1 = e.

(d) We have:


1
1
n

n


n1 n
=
n
1
n
=


n
n1

=

1
1+

= 

1
n1

1+

n
1
n
n1  n1

1
n1

1
. 
e
3.4, ex. 5: () If Z is convergent, then so are X and Y as subsequences of Z, and they have the
same limit.
() Suppose xn a and yn a. Let > 0 be arbitrary. Then there exist K, L N such
that
n K |xn a| <
and
n L |yn a| < .
Let M = max{2K 1, 2L} and assume n M . If n = 2k 1 is odd, then zn = xk and k K,
so |zn a| < . If n = 2k is even, then zn = y2k and k L, so |zn a| < . Therefore, zn a,
as n .


n
3.4, ex. 7: (b) Let an = 1 + n1 . Since an e, it follows that a2n e, as n (the
subsequence of a convergent sequence converges to the same limit). Therefore,


1 n
= an1/2 e1/2 .
1+
2n
(d) Similarly,


2
1+
n

(

n
=

1
1+
n/2

n/2 )2

e2 . 

3.4, ex. 11: Let an = (1)n xn and denote the limit of (an ) (which exists by assumption) by a.
Since every subsequence of (an ) must converge to the same limit as the whole sequence, we
obtain:
a = lim a2k = lim x2k 0,
k

a = lim a2k+1 = lim (x2k+1 ) 0.

k

Therefore, a = 0. It follows that the sequence xn = |an | is also convergent and

xn = |an | |a| = 0. 
3.4, ex. 12: Since (xn ) is unbounded, no k N is an upper bound for the sequence. Therefore,
for each k there exists nk N such that xnk > k. Therefore,
1
1
0<
< ,
xnk
k
so by the Squeeze Theorem, 1/xnk 0, as k .