EXERCISES: INFINITE SERIES OF FUNCTIONS

1. Determine in which subsets of IRthe following series converge pointwise:

a)

k=0
2
k
(log x)
2k
b)

k=0
1
(k+1)!
(x
2
3x + 1)
k
c)

k=0
k
2
+1
k+2
(tan x)
k
d)

k=0
k5
k
2
k
+3
k
(4 |x + 2|)
k
e)

k=1
(4 x
2
)
k
(k
2
+ 1)
k
2
+1
k
f)

k=0
k
k
3
+1
(e
x
+ 1)
k
.
Solution. Recall that if lim
k
|a
n+1
|/|a
n
| = [0, ] (respectively lim
k
n
_
|a
n
| =
[0, ]), then the radius of convergence of the power series is 1/.
a) The series is dened for x > 0. Setting y = (log x)
2
we obtain a power
series with radius of convergence 1/2,

k=0
2
k
y
k
, lim
k+
k

2
k
= 2,
which does not converge at y = 1/2:

k=0
1 and

k=0
(1)
k
do not converge.
Since
(log x)
2
< 1/2
1

2
< log x <
1

2
e
1/

2
< x < e
1/

2
,
the series converges at x (e
1/

2
, e
1/

2
).
b) The series is dened for x IR. Setting y = x
2
3x + 1 we obtain a power
series with radius of convergence +:

k=0
1
(k + 1)!
y
k
, lim
k+
(k + 1)!
(k + 2)!
= lim
k+
1
k + 2
= 0.
Therefore the series converges at all x IR.
1
2 EXERCISES: INFINITE SERIES OF FUNCTIONS
c) The series is dened for x = {/2 + n, n Z}. Setting y = tan x we
obtain a power series with radius of convergence 1,

k=0
k
2
+ 1
k + 2
y
k
, lim
k+
(k+1)
2
+1
k+3
k
2
+1
k+2
= lim
k+
((k + 1)
2
+ 1)(k + 2)
(k + 3)(k
2
+ 1)
= 1,
which does not converge at y = 1:

k=0
k
2
+ 1
k + 2
`e divergente,

k=0
k
2
+ 1
k + 2
(1)
k
`e irregolare.
Since x tan x is periodic with period and
| tan x| < 1

4
< x <

4
for x (/2, /2),
the series converges at x IRif

4
+ n < x <

4
+ n (n Z).
d) The series is dened for x IR. Setting y = 4 |x + 2| we obtain a power
series with radius of convergence 3/5,

k=0
k5
k
2
k
+ 3
k
y
k
, lim
k+
_
k5
k
2
k
+ 3
k
_
1/k
= lim
k+
5
3
_
k
1 + o(1)
_
1/k
= 5/3,
which does not converge at y = 3/5:

k=0
k
3
k
3
k
(1 + (2/3)
k
)
and

k=0
(1)
k
k
3
k
3
k
(1 + (2/3)
k
)
do not converge.
Since
|4 |x + 2|| < 3/5 3/5 < 4 |x + 2| < 3/5 17/5 < |x + 2| < 23/5
7/5 < x < 13/5 or 33/5 < x < 27/5
the series converges at x (33/5, 27/5) (7/5, 13/5).
e) The series is dened for x IR. Setting y = 4 x
2
we obtain a power series
with radius of convergence 0,

k=1
(k
2
+ 1)
k
2
+1
k
y
k
, lim
k+
(k
2
+ 1)
k
2
+1
k
2
= lim
k+
e
k
2
+1
k
2
log(k
2
+1)
= +.
Since
4 x
2
= 0 x = 2,
the series converges at x = 2.
f) The series is dened for x IR. Setting y = 1 e
x
we obtain a power series
with radius of convergence 1,

k=0
k
k
3
+ 1
y
k
, lim
k+
(k + 1)(k
3
+ 1)
k((k + 1)
3
+ 1)
= 1,
EXERCISES: INFINITE SERIES OF FUNCTIONS 3
which converges at y = 1: since
k
k
3
+1
=
1
k
2
(1 + o(1)) as k ,

k=0

k
k
3
+ 1
(1)
k

is convergent.
Since
|1 e
x
| 1 1 1 e
x
1 0 e
x
2 x log 2,
the series converges if x log 2.
2. Determine the Taylor series of f(x) centered at x = a, determine its radius
of convergence R and say if f(x) is the sum of the Taylor series in the interval
(a R, a + R):
a) f(x) = e
2x1
, a =
1
2
;
b) f(x) = e
2x1
, a = 0;
c) f(x) = log
_
x +
1
4
_
, a = 0;
d) f(x) = log
_
x +
1
4
_
, a = 3.
Solution.
a) We know already that e
y
=

k=0
1
k!
y
k
for all y IR, so
e
2x1
=

k=0
(2x 1)
k
k!
=

k=0
2
k
k!
_
x
1
2
_
k
for all x IR
(in particular R = ).
b) Since e
y
=

k=0
1
k!
y
k
for all y IR,
e
2x1
= e
1
e
2x
= e
1

k=0
(2x)
k
k!
=

k=0
2
k
k!e
x
k
for all x IR
(in particular R = ).
c) Since log(1 + y) =

k=1
1
k
(1)
k1
y
k
for y (1, 1),
log
_
x +
1
4
_
=log
_
4x + 1
4
_
= log(1 + 4x) log(4)
=log 4 +

k=1
(1)
k1
4
k
k
x
k
for all x
_

1
4
,
1
4
_
.
One easily checks that indeed the radius of convergence is
1
4
:
lim
k+
4
k+1
k+1
4
k
k
= 4.
4 EXERCISES: INFINITE SERIES OF FUNCTIONS
d) Since log(1 + y) =

k=1
1
k
(1)
k1
y
k
for y (1, 1),
log
_
x +
1
4
_
=
_
x 3 +
13
4
_
= log
_
13
4
_
1 +
4
13
(x 3)
__
= log(13/4) + log
_
1 +
4
13
(x 3)
_
= log(13/4) +

k=1
(1)
k1
4
k
k(13)
k
(x 3)
k
for all x
_
3
13
4
, 3 +
13
4
_
. Since
lim
k+
4
k+1
(k+1)(13)
k+1
4
k
k(13)
k
=
4
13
,
the radius of convergence is indeed
13
4
.
3. Express the value of the following integrals as an innite series:
a)
_
1
0
e
x
2
dx
b)
_
1/2
0
arctan x
x
dx
c)
_
1/3
0
log(1+x)
x
dx.
Solution.
a) By the uniform convergence of the Taylor series of e
x
2
in [0, 1],
_
1
0
e
x
2
dx =
_
1
0
_

k=0
(1)
k
k!
x
2k
_
dx =

k=0
__
1
0
(1)
k
k!
x
2k
dx
_
=

k=0
(1)
k
k!(2k + 1)
.
b) By the uniform convergence of the Taylor series of
arctan x
x
in
_
0,
1
2

,
_
1/2
0
arctan x
x
dx =

k=0
_
_
1/2
0
(1)
k
2k + 1
x
2k
dx
_
=

k=0
(1)
k
(2k + 1)
2
2
2k+1
.
c) By the uniform convergence of the Taylor series of
log(1+x)
x
in
_
0,
1
3

,
_
1/3
0
log(1 + x)
x
dx =

k=1
_
_
1/3
0
(1)
k1
k
x
k1
dx
_
=

k=1
(1)
k1
k
2
3
k
.
4. Estimate the error E
7
(x) = arctan x T
7
(x) at x = 3/20, where T
7
(x) is
the Taylor polynomial of order 7 of arctan x centered at 0 (hint: write E
7
(x) as
_
x
0
E(t)dt if |x| < 1, where E(t) =
1
1+t
2
(1 t
2
+ t
4
t
6
), and observe that
E(t) =
t
8
1+t
2
).
Solution. Since E
7
(0) = 0 and
E
7
(x) = arctan x T
7
(x) = arctan x
3

k=0
(1)
k
2k + 1
x
2k+1
,
EXERCISES: INFINITE SERIES OF FUNCTIONS 5
we nd that
E
7
(x) =
_
x
0
E

7
(t)dt =
_
x
0
_
1
1 + t
2

3

k=0
(1)
k
t
2k
_
.
Observe that
1
1 + t
2

3

k=0
(1)
k
t
2k
=
1
1 + t
2
(1 t
2
+ t
4
t
6
)
=
1 (1 t
2
+ t
4
t
6
) (t
2
t
4
+ t
6
t
8
)
1 + t
2
=
t
8
1 + t
2
.
Therefore
0 E
7
(x) =
_
x
0
t
8
1 + t
2
dt <
_
x
0
t
8
dt =
1
9
x
9
.
In particular we nd that 0 E
7
(3/20) < (3/20)
9
/9 =
2439
51210
9
< 10
8
.
5. Study the pointwise and uniform convergence n X of the series

k=1
f
k
(x) if:
a) X = IR, f
k
(x) = k
2
sin(kx)
b) X = [1, 1], f
k
(x) =
x
3
x
2
+k
2
c) X = IR, f
k
(x) =
x
3
x
2
+k
2
Solution. If a series converges uniformly in X it also converges pointwise in X.
Therefore we study rst the uniform convergence.
a) Since
sup
xIR

sin(kx)
k
2

1
k
2
and

k=1
1
k
2
converges, the Weierstrass M-test implies that the series con-
verges uniformly in IR.
b) Since |x
3
| 1 and x
2
+ k
2
k
2
in X = [1, 1],
sup
x[1,1]
x
3
x
2
+ k
2

1
k
2
(alternatively, one could determine the maximum of the function |f
k
(x)|
in [1, 1]; one nds that max
[1,1]
|f
k
| = f
k
(1) = 1/(1 + k
2
) < 1/k
2
). Since

k=1
1
k
2
converges, the Weierstrass M-test implies that the series converges
uniformly in [1, 1].
6 EXERCISES: INFINITE SERIES OF FUNCTIONS
c) The convergence is not uniform in IR: for all n 1
sup
xIR

k=n
x
3
x
2
+ k
2

sup
x0
x
3
x
2
+ n
2
= .
For all xed x IRthe series converges absolutely:
x
3
x
2
+ k
2
=
x
3
k
2
(1 + o(1)) as k
and

k=1
x
3
k
2
= x
3

k=1
1
k
2
converges for all xed x IR.