Collin Graf

1. In each of parts (a) to (e) determine whether or not the series converges. You
do not need to find the value it converges to (if it converges). (Fully justify
your answers.)
a. P n=1 1 n1+1/n

i. Comparing

1n
n=1

to

n=1

1+

1
n

using the limit comparison test,

1
1+

we get the following.

lim

1
n

1
n

=lim
n

1
1+
n

=lim
n

n
nn

1
n

= lim

1
n

1
n

=1 .

Thus by limit comparison test, we know that the two series

either converge or diverge together, and since we know
that the series 1/n diverges, we know that the series
1/n^(1+1/n) also diverges.
b. P n=1 1 n ln(1 + 1/n)

i. The series

n=1

1
1
nln(1+ ) diverges because ln(1+1/n) is always
n

less than or equal to 2 for n greater than or equal to 1, and ln(2)

is less than 1. Therefore n*ln(1+1/n) is always less than n*1 (or
n). This means that 1/n is always less than 1/(n*ln(1+1/n)), and

since we know that the series

1n
n=1

diverges, that means

that a series that is strictly greater than it at all times

must also diverge.

c. P n=2 1 (ln n) ln n
i. Guess that n^2 < (ln(n))^(ln(n)). Then ln(n^2) <
ln((ln(n))^(ln(n))) which implies 2*ln(n) < ln(n)*ln(ln(n)). If we
divide out ln(n), we then get 2 < ln(ln(n)) or e^(e^2) < n. This
means that when n > e^(e^2) > 1619 , the inequality 1/
((ln(n))^(ln(n))) < 1/(n^2) is true. Since we know that the series

n12
n=1

converges, then we know by the comparison test

that

ln ( n)
ln
1

converges as well. And since the series

n=1619

ln ( n)
ln
1

is just some constant, we know that the whole

1619

n=2

series

ln ( n)
ln
1

converges.

n=2

d. P n=3 1 (ln ln n) ln ln n
i. Guess that ln(ln(n))^ln(ln(n)) < n. ln(ln(ln(n))^(ln(ln(n)))) < ln(n)
simplifies to ln(ln(n))*ln(ln(ln(n))) < ln(n) which implies
ln(n)*ln(ln(ln(n))) < n which implies n*ln(ln(ln(n))) < e^n which
implies ln(ln(ln(n) < (e^n)/n which implies ln(ln(n)) <
e^((e^n)/n) which implies ln(n) < e^(e^((e^n)/n)) which finally
implies n < e^(e^(e^((e^n)/n))). Because n <
e^(e^(e^((e^n)/n))) is a true inequality for all values of n, that
means that it is also true that ln(ln(n))^(ln(ln(n))) is always less
than n, so 1/(ln(ln(n))^(ln(ln(n)))) is always greater than 1/n.

since we know that the series

test, the series

n
ln ()

ln ( ln ( n))
ln
1

1n
n=1

diverges, by comparison

must also diverge.

n=3

e. P n=1 ( n n 1)n.

N, 1 <

i. Given any value of n

n n < 2. This means that |

n n1 | < 1 for all values n. That means our series fits the
definition of a geometric series, where

n n1 is out r-

value. By the property of a geometric series with |r| < 1,

the series converges.

2. Assume P n=1 an converges absolutely. Show that each of the following

series also converges absolutely:
a. P n=1 a 2 n
i. Because An converges absolutely, the absolute value of An must
be smaller than the harmonic series. For any value x, |x| < 1, x
> x^2. Since An must be smaller than the harmonic series, then
after some well-defined point, all of Ans terms must be less
than the harmonic series terms, which after the first term, are
all less than 1, which means that after that point, An^2s terms
are smaller than Ans. If all terms of a series after some welldefined point are smaller than all terms of a known converging
series, then that series itself is said to also be convergent. Thus

because the series An

n=1

converges, the series

An2
n=1

must also converge.

b. P n=1 an 1 + an
i. By limit comparison test

lim

An
An+ An2
=lim
=lim 1+ An
An
An
n
n
.
An+1

Since we already know An converges, that means that

lim An=L
n

where L is some definite number. Since L is a

definite number, so must be L + 1, thus by limit comparison An

and

An
An+1

must both converge or diverge together, and since

An is known to converge, the series

An
An+1

must converge

with it.
c. P n=1 a 2 n 1 + a 2 n . (if no an = 1)
i. By limit comparison test

lim

An2
An2+ An4
=lim
= lim 1+ An2
2
2
n
n
An
An
.
2
An +1

Since we already know An^2 converges by part (a), that means

2

that

lim An =L
n

where L is some definite number. Since L is a

definite number, so must be L + 1, thus by limit comparison

2

An^2 and

An
2
An +1

must both converge or diverge together,

and since An^2 is known to converge, the series

An2
An2 +1

must

converge with it.

3. For which values of the constant p R + does the following series converge:
X n=1 sin(n p ) (Justify your answer.) [Hint: One way to do this is to
estimate sin x from above and below using Taylor polynomials. You can quote
without proof results from basic calculus about Taylor polynomial
approximations.]
a. For all p R+, nlim

lim sin
x

sin ( x )
x

sin ( np )
sin ( np )
=lim
sin
n
1 /n p
n p

which is of type

which is known to be equal to 1. By limit comparison

test, the series sin(n^(-p)) must converge or diverge with 1/n^p. Since
1/n^p is the definition of a p-series, and p-series converge for all p>1
and diverge for all p<1 or p=1, that means that sin(n^(-p)) must also
diverge for all p<1 or p=1 and converge for all p>1.