Two of Euler’s Errors

Chris Harding
September 2018

1 Introduction
When I solve problems in mathematics, physics, or engineering, I am hard on
myself if I cannot get all the problems correct. With that said, I was only a 4.0
student for awhile when I attended South Western Oregon Community College,
and a 4.0 does not mean I was always correct. I was a 3.35 student in chemical
engineering at Oregon State University but I took the courses in an unusual
way. During my first year at OSU, I doubled up my sophomore and junior level
chemical engineering and engineering courses together, and during my second
year at OSU, I doubled up on my junior and senior chemical engineering and
engineering courses. I earned a 3.5 as a biological sciences student at Rosalind
Franklin University of Health Sciences.
Recently, I was solving the last problems in a problem section called infinite
series, and I made a simple error when solving a complicated problem. Authors
usually save the hardest problems for the final problems in the problem section.
The simple error was a foundation error in mathematics (negative sign). I had
succeeded with understanding the concept.
The last problem in the problem section was a problem that Leonhard Euler
missed during his mathematical days. Here is a little quote about Leonard
Euler:
Quote: ”Euler was one of the most eminent mathematicians of the 18th
century and is held to be one of the greatest in history. He is also widely
considered to be the most prolific mathematician of all time. His collected
works fill 60 to 80 quarto volumes,[5] more than anybody in the field. He spent
most of his adult life in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and in Berlin, then the capital
of Prussia.”[Wikipedia]
To pound my chest a little, some of my older Facebook friends might remem-
ber that I was one of the all-time top 13% of the Project Euler mathematical
computation website[2]. I was practicing my C++ programming as I did prob-
lems at this website. It is a great site with some hard and easy problems. I
quit it, and started concentrating on OpenFOAM since turbulence projects in
OpenFOAM are my ultimate goal at this time. I feel proud that I am one of
the top 13% of all time.
Often, my illnesses make me feel as if I am stupid in mathematics, physics,

1
and engineering. Remember, I am a chemical engineer and use to be a very
good chemical engineer.

2 Problem Statement[1]
Here is the problem that Euler missed. I got it right without looking at the
answer I give below. :) That made me feel a little better, but I am no Leonhard
Euler and I know that. Also, this is an example of how a hard problem can be
so simple if one has the right knowledge. Also, even the greats made errors.
Problem 41, Infinite Series[1]: The great Swiss mathematician, Leonard Eu-
ler, (biography on p. 71) made occasional errors in his pioneering work on
infinite series. For example, Euler deduced that:
1
= 1 − 1 + 1 − 1 + ... (1)
2
and

−1 = 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + . . . (2)
by substituting x = -1 and x = 2 in the formula
1
= 1 + x + x2 + x3 + . . . (3)
1−x
What was the error in his reasoning?

3 Answer
11.3.3 Theorem. A geometric series

a + ar + ar2 + . . . + ark−1 + . . . (a 6= 0)
converges if | r | < 1 and diverges is | r | ≥ 1. If the series converges, then the
sum is
a
= a + ar + ar2 + . . . + ark−1 + . . .
1−r
References:
1. Anton, Howard. (1992). Calculus with analytic geometry-4th Edition.
Anton Textbooks, Inc.
2. Project Euler. Retrieved (2018, Sept. 10). projecteuler[net].Available
from: https://projecteuler.net/