2014/2015 MA2108 TUTORIAL 2-SOLUTIONS

Q1. (i) Let f, g : D R be two bounded functions. Prove that

inf
xD
{f(x) + g(x)} inf
xD
f(x) + sup
xD
g(x).
(ii) Let f, g : D R be two nonnegative bounded functions. Prove that
inf
xD
f(x) inf
xD
g(x) inf
xD
{f(x)g(x)}.
Find an example such that the strict inequality holds.
Proof. (i)
inf
xD
{f(x) + g(x)} sup
xD
g(x)
= inf
xD
{f(x) + g(x)} + inf
xD
{g(x)}
{f(x) + g(x)} + {g(x)}
=f(x), x D.
Therefore we have
inf
xD
{f(x) + g(x)} sup
xD
g(x) inf
xD
{f(x)},
and so
inf
xD
{f(x) + g(x)} inf
xD
f(x) + sup
xD
g(x).
(ii) As x D we have f(x) 0, g(x) 0, we have inf
xD
{f(x)} 0
and inf
xD
{g(x)} 0. And therefore x D, we have
inf
xD
f(x) inf
xD
g(x) f(x) g(x).
So
inf
xD
f(x) inf
xD
g(x) inf
xD
{f(x)g(x)}.
Consider the example, D = [1, 2], f(x) = x, g(x) =
1
x
. Then inf
xD
f(x) =
1, inf
xD
g(x) = 1/2; f(x)g(x) = 1 and so inf
xD
{f(x)g(x)} = 1. We can
see that in this example, inf
xD
f(x) inf
xD
g(x) < inf
xD
{f(x)g(x)}.
Q2. Prove that there exists a unique positive real number b such that b
3
= 2.
1
2 2014/2015 MA2108 TUTORIAL 2-SOLUTIONS
Proof. Let S = {x R : x > 0, x
3
< 2}. Then S = because 1 S. On the
other hand, if y > 2, then y
3
> 8 so that y / S. Thus if x S, then x 2.
So 2 is an upper bound of S. Since S is bounded above, by the Supremum
Property, b = sup S exists.
We claim that b
3
= 2. We shall prove this by showing that it is impossible
to have b
3
< 2 or b
3
> 2.
Suppose that b
3
< 2. Then
3b
2
+3b+1
2b
3
> 0. Then by the Archimedean
Property, n N such that
3b
2
+3b+1
2b
3
< n. Then

b +
1
n

3
= b
3
+
3b
2
n
+
3b
n
2
+
1
n
3
< b
3
+
3b
2
+ 3b + 1
n
< b
3
+ (2 b
3
) = 2.
Hence b +
1
n
S. But b +
1
n
> b. This contradicts the fact that b = sup S.
Suppose that b
3
> 2. Then
3b
2
+1
b
3
2
> 0. Then by the Archimedean Prop-
erty, m N such that
3b
2
+1
b
3
2
< m. Then

b
1
m

3
= b
3

3b
2
m
+
3b
m
2

1
m
3
> b
3

3b
2
m

1
m
3
> b
3

3b
2
+ 1
m
> b
3
(b
3
2) = 2.
If x S, then x
3
< 2 <

b
1
m

3
, so that x < b
1
m
. Hence b
1
m
is an
upper bound of S. But b
1
m
< b, which again contradicts the fact that
b = sup S.
Since the statement b
3
< 2 and b
3
> 2 are both false, we must have b
3
= 2.
Next lets prove the uniqueness. Suppose we have another positive real
number a such that a
3
= 2 = b
3
. Then we have a
3
b
3
= 0 or (a b)(a
2
+
ab + b
2
) = 0. But a
2
+ ab + b
2
> 0, so we have a b = 0 or a = b.

Q3. Prove that (i) lim

n
2n
n+1
= 2; (ii) lim
n
3n+1
2n+5
=
3
2
.
Proof. (i) It is easy to see the following inequality holds,

2n
n + 1
2

=
2
n + 1
<
2
n
.
Let > 0, choose K N such that K >
2

. Then n K, we have

2n
n + 1
2

<
2
n

2
K
< .
So we have lim
n
2n
n+1
= 2.
(ii) It is easy to see the following inequality holds,

3n + 1
2n + 5

3
2

=
13
2(2n + 5)
<
13
4n
.
2014/2015 MA2108 TUTORIAL 2-SOLUTIONS 3
Let > 0, choose K N such that K >
13
4
. Then n K, we have

3n + 1
2n + 5

3
2

<
13
4n

13
4K
< .
So we have lim
n
3n+1
2n+5
=
3
2
.