Assignment 2

1. Prove or disprove: a sequence in R can have more than one limit.

2. Suppose that xn → A and yn → B and xn < yn for every n. Give an example

showing that A = B is still possible.

3. Prove that if the sequence (xn ) diverges to ∞ then it is bounded below.

4. (a) Suppose that (xn ) converges to 0, and (yn ) is bounded. Prove that (xn yn )
converges to 0.
(b) If (xn ) converges to 0 and (yn ) diverges to ∞, the behavior of the prod-
uct sequence (xn yn ) is unpredictable. Give examples (with justifications when
needed) showing that (xn yn ) may converge to a finite limit, diverge to an infinite
limit, or have no (finite or infinite) limit at all.

5. Investigate the convergence of the following sequences:

(a) xn = 121+1 + 221+2 + 321+3 + · · · · · · + n21+n
n2 n2 n2
(b) xn = n3 +n+1 + n3 +n+2 + · · · · · · + n3 +n+n
(c) xn = (n
√ + 1)α − nα for some α ∈ (0, 1)
(d) xn = n n
ns
(e) xn = (1+p) n for some s > 0 and p > 0.
n
(f) xn = xn! for some fixed number x.

√ √
6. A sequence (an ) is defined by a1 = 2 and an+1 = 2 + an for n ≥ 1.
(a) List first 4 terms of the sequence.
(b) Use induction to show that the sequence is bounded above by 3.
(c) Assuming that (an ) is convergent, find L = limn→∞ an .

7. let (xn ) be a sequence of strictly positive real numbers such that limn→∞ xxn+1
n
=
l. then prove the following.
(a) If l < 1 then limn→∞ xn = 0.
(b) If l > 1 then limn→∞ xn = ∞.
(c) If l = 1 then give example of sequences to show that both conclusions can
hold.

8. Let a > 0 and x1 > 0. Define xn+1 = 12 (xn + xan ) for all n ∈ N . Prove that
√
the sequence (x
√ n ) converges to a. These sequences are used in the numerical
calculation of a.

9. Which of the following sequences are monotonic? For those that are, state
whether they are increasing or decreasing, and whether they are strictly in-
creasing or decreasing. Give a brief justification in each case.
1 1
(a) (xn ) = n+1 − (n+1)2

(b) (xn ) = lcos(πn).

m
1
(c) (xn ) = n 2 .
(d) (xn ) = cos(n).