Questions tagged [divergent-series]

Questions on whether certain series diverge, and how to deal with divergent series using summation methods such as Ramanujan summation and others.

When a series of real or, more generally, complex numbers diverges, it is still possible, sometimes, to give a meaning to its sum. For instance, given a series $\displaystyle\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_n$, if the series $\displaystyle\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_nx^n$ converges for each $x\in[0,1)$ and if furthermore the limit$$\lim_{x\to1}\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_nx^n$$exists, it is natural to say that $\displaystyle\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_n$ is this limit. Besides, if the series $\displaystyle\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_n$ actually converges, then the two sums are the same.

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Why does $1+2+3+\cdots = -\frac{1}{12}$?

$\displaystyle\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{1}{n^s}$ only converges to $\zeta(s)$ if $\text{Re}(s) > 1$. Why should analytically continuing to $\zeta(-1)$ give the right answer?
perplexed
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Is there a slowest rate of divergence of a series?

$$f(n)=\sum_{i=1}^n\frac{1}{i}$$ diverges slower than $$g(n)=\sum_{i=1}^n\frac{1}{\sqrt{i}}$$ , by which I mean $\lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}(g(n)-f(n))=\infty$. Similarly, $\ln(n)$ diverges as fast as $f(n)$, as $\lim_{n \rightarrow…
Meow
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When is an infinite product of natural numbers regularizable?

I only recently heard about the concept of $\zeta$-regularization, which allows the evaluation of things like $$\infty != \prod_{k=1}^\infty k = \sqrt{2\pi}$$ and $$\infty \# = \prod_{k=1}^\infty p_k = 4\pi^2$$ where $n\#$ is a primorial, and $p_k$…
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Double sum - Miklos Schweitzer 2010

There is a question in the Miklos Schweitzer contest last year that keeps bugging me. Here it is: Is there any sequence $(a_n)$ of nonnegative numbers for which $\displaystyle\sum_{n \geq 1}a_n^2 <\infty $ and $$\sum_{n \geq 1}\left(\sum_{k \geq…
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Does a randomly chosen series diverge?

Pick a point at random in the interval $[0,1]$, call it $P_1$. Pick another point at random in the interval $[0,P_1]$, call it $P_2$. Pick another point at random in the interval $[0,P2]$, call it $P_3$. Etc... Let $S = P_1+P_2+P_3+\cdots$ What is…
Elie Bergman
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Does Ramanujan summation evaluate the series $\sum \frac{1}{n^s}$ to $\zeta(s)$ or $\zeta(s)-\frac{1}{s-1}$?

On Wikipedia, in the article on Ramanujan summation as well as some related articles, examples of Ramanujan summation of the form $ \sum\frac{1}{n^s}$ are done for various values of $s$ which seem to imply that Ramanujan summation yields…
ziggurism
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Does the sum $\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\tan n}{n^2}$ converge?

Does the sum $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\tan n}{n^2}$$ converge?
lsr314
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A Ramanujan-like summation: is it correct? Is it extensible?

I'm still exercising with summation-procedures which I try to make correct Ramanujan-summations. I'm looking at the (gap-)series $$ s(1/2,2) = (1/2)^1+(1/2)^{4}+(1/2)^{9}+(1/2)^{16}+(1/2)^{25}+... $$ and more general at $$ s(b,p) =…
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The series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac1n$ diverges!

We all know that the following harmonic series $$\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac1n=\frac 1 1 + \frac 12 + \frac 13 + \cdots $$ diverges and grows very slowly!! I have seen many proofs of the result but recently found the following: $$S =\frac 1 1 + \frac…
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On the convergence of $\sum_{n = 1}^\infty\frac{\sin\left(n^a\right)}{n^b}$

Given the infinite series $$\begin{aligned}\sum_{n = 1}^{\infty}\end{aligned} \frac{\sin\left(n^a\right)}{n^b}$$ with $a,\,b \in \mathbb{R}$, study when it converges and when it diverges. Easy cases $\forall\,a \in \mathbb{R}$ we have…
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Asymptotic (divergent) series

MOTIVATION. After having read in detail an article by Alf van der Poorten I read a very short paper by Roger Apéry. I am interested in finding a proof of a series expansion in the latter, which is in not given in it. So I assumed it should be…
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Alternating prime series

I was curious to know what the following limit is: $$\lim_{x\downarrow-1}\sum_{n=1}^\infty p_nx^{n-1}=\lim_{x\downarrow-1}(2+3x+5x^2+7x^3+11x^4+\dots)$$ where $p_n$ is the $n$th prime. I graphed the first 6 or so partial sums: but they converge…
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How is the Riemann zeta function zero at the negative even integers?

I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding this in any way, but surely evaluating the zeta function at, say, -2, would give $1 + 2^2 + 3^2 + 4^2 + 5^2 + ...$ which seems to diverge to infinity. What am I missing?
Bluefire
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Is $\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{\sin(2n)}{1+\cos^4(n)}$ convergent?

As I was just checking this 'child prodigy' out on Youtube, I stumbled upon this video, in which Glenn Beck asks the kid to do the following proof: Further on, the kid starts sketching a proof (without a shadow of a doubt regarding the accuracy of…
Victor
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Sum of all natural numbers is 0?

A fairly well-known (and perplexing) fact is that the sum of all natural numbers is given the value -1/12, at least in certain contexts. Quite often, a "proof" is given which involves abusing divergent and oscillating series, and the numbers seem to…
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