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    Induction

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    nuriyesan
    This document discusses using induction to prove statements about integers are true for all integers greater than or equal to a starting integer. It provides three examples of using induction to prove a recursively defined sequence is convergent. The first two examples use induction to show the sequence is bounded below and decreasing, then applying the Monotonic Sequence Theorem to prove convergence. The third example directly shows the terms of the sequence approach 1/3 without using the Monotonic Sequence Theorem.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Induction

    Uploaded by

    nuriyesan
    42 views2 pages
    This document discusses using induction to prove statements about integers are true for all integers greater than or equal to a starting integer. It provides three examples of using induction to prove a recursively defined sequence is convergent. The first two examples use induction to show the sequence is bounded below and decreasing, then applying the Monotonic Sequence Theorem to prove convergence. The third example directly shows the terms of the sequence approach 1/3 without using the Monotonic Sequence Theorem.

    Original Description:

    Mathematical Induction

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    This document discusses using induction to prove statements about integers are true for all integers greater than or equal to a starting integer. It provides three examples of using induction to prove a recursively defined sequence is convergent. The first two examples use induction to show the sequence is bounded below and decreasing, then applying the Monotonic Sequence Theorem to prove convergence. The third example directly shows the terms of the sequence approach 1/3 without using the Monotonic Sequence Theorem.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    42 views2 pages

    Induction

    Uploaded by

    nuriyesan
    This document discusses using induction to prove statements about integers are true for all integers greater than or equal to a starting integer. It provides three examples of using induction to prove a recursively defined sequence is convergent. The first two examples use induction to show the sequence is bounded below and decreasing, then applying the Monotonic Sequence Theorem to prove convergence. The third example directly shows the terms of the sequence approach 1/3 without using the Monotonic Sequence Theorem.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Induction and Sequences

    Let n0 be an integer. Suppose that we want to prove that a statement S(n) about integers
    n n0 is true for all n n0 . One way of doing this is to use the Induction Method. If we can
    prove that
    S(n0 ) is true, and
    For each k n0 , if S(k) is true then S(k + 1) is true,

    then it follows that S(n) is true for all n n0 .

    Example 0: Consider the sequence an =

    10n
    for n 0. Then
    n!

    a0 = 1, a1 = 10, a2 = 50, a3 =

    500
    1250
    , a4 =
    .
    3
    3

    In particular, a0 < a1 < a2 < a3 < a4 . Can we conclude that {an }


    n=0 is an increasing
    sequence? No, because, for instance,
    a10 =

    15262500
    15625000
    >
    = a11 .
    567
    6237

    In fact, we can prove that the sequence {an }


    n=10 is decreasing. If n 10, then
    an+1

    10n+1
    10n
    10
    10n 10
    10n
    =
    =

    <

    <
    = an .
    (n + 1)!
    n! n + 1
    n! 11
    n!

    Example 1: Consider the sequence recursively dened by the conditions


    a1 = 7 and an =

    an1 + 1
    for n 2 .
    4

    We want to show that this sequence is convergent using the Monotonic Sequence Theorem.
    First we will show that the sequence is bounded below by 0.

    Claim : an > 0 for all n 1.


    Proof : We will use induction.
    For n = 1, we have a1 = 7 > 0.
    Suppose that ak > 0 for some k 1. Then
    ak > 0 = ak + 1 > 1 = ak+1 =

    1
    ak + 1
    > >0
    4
    4

    and we are done.

    Next we will show that the sequence is decreasing.

    Claim : an+1 < an for all n 1.


    Proof : We will use induction again.
    For n = 1, we have a2 =

    7+1
    = 2 < 7 = a1 .
    4

    Suppose that ak+1 < ak for some k 1. We want to show that ak+2 < ak+1 . This is

    true, because

    ak+1 < ak = ak+1 + 1 < ak + 1 = ak+2 =

    ak + 1
    ak+1 + 1
    <
    = ak+1 .
    4
    4

    Finally, since the sequences is bounded from below and decreasing, it is convergent by the
    Monotonic Sequence Theorem.

    Example 2: In this Example we will again show that the sequence dened by
    a1 = 7 and an =

    an1 + 1
    for n 2
    4

    is convergent. But this time we will not use induction in the second part of the proof.
    First we will show that the sequence is bounded below by 1/3.

    Claim : an > 1/3 for all n 1.


    Proof : We will use induction.
    For n = 1, we have a1 = 7 > 1/3.
    Suppose that ak > 1/3 for some k 1. Then:
    ak >

    1
    4
    ak + 1
    1
    = ak + 1 > = ak+1 =
    >
    3
    3
    4
    3

    Now we will prove that the sequence is decreasing. As we already now that an > 1/3 and
    therefore 1 3an < 0 for all n 1, it immediately follows that
    an+1 an =

    an + 1
    1
    an = (1 3an ) < 0
    4
    4

    and hence an+1 < an for all n 1.


    Once again, since the sequences is bounded from below and decreasing, it is convergent by the
    Monotonic Sequence Theorem.

    Example 3: In this Example we will one more time show that the sequence dened by
    a1 = 7 and an =

    an1 + 1
    for n 2
    4

    is convergent, but this time without using the Monotonic Sequence Theorem.
    Note that

    1
    an + 1 1
    1
    an+1 =
    =
    3
    4
    3
    4

    (
    )
    1
    an
    3

    for n 1. Therefore, we obtain


    1
    1
    an =
    3
    4

    1
    an1
    3

    ( )2 (
    )
    ( )n2(
    ) ( )n1(
    )
    1
    1
    1
    1
    1
    1
    =
    an2
    = =
    a2
    =
    a1
    4
    3
    4
    3
    4
    3

    and use to conclude that

    (( ) (
    (
    )
    )) (
    )
    ( )n1
    n1
    1
    1
    1
    1
    1
    lim an
    = lim
    a1
    = a1
    lim
    =0
    n
    n
    3
    4
    3
    3 n 4

    as lim rn = 0 for |r| < 1. Hence lim an =


    n

    1
    .
    3

    Two remarks about this proof: Firstly, note that this time we did not use the fact a1 = 7 at
    all. That is, we proved that any sequence dened by this recursion relation converges to 1/3,
    no matter what the initial condition is. Secondly, there is an induction hidden somewhere in
    there. Find it and write it out explicitly as an exercise.
    Last revision: April 17, 2014

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