REARRANGEMENTS

The question of whether a given convergent series is absolutely convergent or condi-

tionally convergent has a bearing on the question of whether innite sums behave like
nite sums.
If we rearrange the order of the terms in a nite sum, then of course the value of the
sum remains unchanged. But this is not always the case for an innite series. By a
rearrangement of an innite series we mean a series obtained by simply changing
the order of the terms. For instance, a rearrangement of could start as follows:
It turns out that
if is an absolutely convergent series with sum s,
then any rearrangement of has the same sum s.
However, any conditionally convergent series can be rearranged to give a different sum. To
illustrate this fact lets consider the alternating harmonic series
(See Exercise 36 in Section 11.5.) If we multiply this series by , we get
Inserting zeros between the terms of this series, we have
Now we add the series in Equations 6 and 7 using Theorem 11.2.8:
Notice that the series in (8) contains the same terms as in (6), but rearranged so that one
negative term occurs after each pair of positive terms. The sums of these series, however,
are different. In fact, Riemann proved that
if is a conditionally convergent series and r is any real number what-
soever, then there is a rearrangement of that has a sum equal to r.
A proof of this fact is outlined in Exercise 40.
a
n
a
n
1
1
3

1
2

1
5

1
7

1
4

3
2
ln 2 8
0
1
2
0
1
4
0
1
6
0
1
8

1
2
ln 2 7
1
2

1
4

1
6

1
8

1
2
ln 2
1
2
1
1
2

1
3

1
4

1
5

1
6

1
7

1
8
ln 2 6
a
n
a
n
a
1
a
2
a
5
a
3
a
4
a
15
a
6
a
7
a
20

a
n
a
n
SECTION 11.6 ABSOLUTE CONVERGENCE AND THE RATIO AND ROOT TESTS | | | | 719
N Adding these zeros does not affect the sum of
the series; each term in the sequence of partial
sums is repeated, but the limit is the same.
5. 6.
7. 8.
9. 10.
11. 12.
14.

n1
1
n1

n
2
2
n
n!

n1

10
n
n 14
2n1
13.

n1

sin 4n
4
n

n1

1
n
e
1n
n
3

n1
1
n

n
sn
3
2

n1
1
n
1.1
n
n
4

n1

n!
100
n

k1
k(
2
3
)
k

n1

1
n
n
4

n1

1
n1
s
4
n

1. What can you say about the series in each of the following
cases?
(a) (b)
(c)
228 Determine whether the series is absolutely convergent,
conditionally convergent, or divergent.
2.
3.

n1
1
n1
2
n
n
4
4.

n0

10
n
n!

n1

n
2
2
n
lim
nl

an1
an

1
lim
n l

an1
an

0.8 lim
n l

an1
an

8
an
EXERCI SES 11.6
720 | | | | CHAPTER 11 INFINITE SEQUENCES AND SERIES
Ratio Test. As usual, we let be the remainder after terms,
that is,
(a) If is a decreasing sequence and , show, by
summing a geometric series, that
(b) If is an increasing sequence, show that
35. (a) Find the partial sum of the series . Use Exer-
cise 34 to estimate the error in using as an approximation
to the sum of the series.
(b) Find a value of so that is within of the sum.
Use this value of to approximate the sum of the series.
36. Use the sum of the rst 10 terms to approximate the sum of
the series
Use Exercise 34 to estimate the error.
37. Prove the Root Test. [Hint for part (i): Take any number such
that and use the fact that there is an integer such
that whenever .]
38. Around 1910, the Indian mathematician Srinivasa
Ramanujan discovered the formula
William Gosper used this series in 1985 to compute the rst
17 million digits of .
(a) Verify that the series is convergent.
(b) How many correct decimal places of do you get if you
use just the rst term of the series? What if you use two
terms?
39. Given any series , we dene a series whose terms are
all the positive terms of and a series whose terms
are all the negative terms of . To be specic, we let
Notice that if , then and , whereas if
, then and .
(a) If is absolutely convergent, show that both of the series
and are convergent.
(b) If is conditionally convergent, show that both of the
series and are divergent.
40. Prove that if is a conditionally convergent series and
is any real number, then there is a rearrangement of
whose sum is . [Hints: Use the notation of Exercise 39.
Take just enough positive terms so that their sum is greater
than . Then add just enough negative terms so that the
cumulative sum is less than . Continue in this manner and use
Theorem 11.2.6.]
r
an

r
an

r
an r
an
an

an

an
an

an

an
an

0 an

an an 0
an

0 an

an an 0
an

an

an

2
an

an

an

2
an
an

an
an

an

2s2

9801

n0

4n!1103 26390n
n!
4
396
4n
n N s
n

an


r
N L r 1
r

n1

n
2
n
n
0.00005 sn n
s5

n1 1n2
n
s5
Rn
an1
1 L
rn
Rn
an1
1 rn1
rn1 1 rn
Rn an1 an2 an3
n Rn
15. 16.
17. 18.
20.
22.
23. 24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
The terms of a series are dened recursively by the equations
Determine whether converges or diverges.
30. A series is dened by the equations
Determine whether converges or diverges.
For which of the following series is the Ratio Test inconclusive
(that is, it fails to give a denite answer)?
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
32. For which positive integers is the following series
convergent?
(a) Show that converges for all .
(b) Deduce that for all .
34. Let be a series with positive terms and let .
Suppose that , so converges by the an limnl rn L 1
rn an1an
an
x limnl

x
n
n! 0
x

n0 x
n
n! 33.

n1

n!
2
kn!
k

n1

sn

1 n
2

n1

3
n1
sn

n1

n
2
n

n1

1
n
3
31.
an
an1
2 cos n
sn

an a1 1
an
an
an1
5n 1
4n 3
an a1 2
29.

n1
1
n

2
n
n!
5 8 11 3n 2

n1

2 4 6 2n
n!
2
5

2 6
5 8

2 6 10
5 8 11

2 6 10 14
5 8 11 14

1
n1
1 3 5 2n 1
2n 1!

1
1 3
3!

1 3 5
5!

1 3 5 7
7!

n2

n
ln n
n

n1

1
1
n

n
2

n2

2n
n 1

5n

n1

n
2
1
2n
2
1

n
21.

n1

2
n
n
n

n1

cosn 3
n!
19.

n1

n!
n
n

n2

1
n
ln n

n1

3 cos n
n
23
2

n1

1
n
arctan n
n
2