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ERIC Number: EJ938184
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Nov
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0746-8342
EISSN: N/A
The Divergence of Balanced Harmonic-Like Series
Lutzer, Carl V.; Marengo, James E.
College Mathematics Journal, v37 n5 p364-369 Nov 2006
Consider the series [image omitted] where the value of each a[subscript n] is determined by the flip of a coin: heads on the "n"th toss will mean that a[subscript n] =1 and tails that a[subscript n] = -1. Assuming that the coin is "fair," what is the probability that this "harmonic-like" series converges? After a moment's thought, many people answer that the probability of convergence is 1. This is correct (though the proof is nontrivial), but it doesn't preclude the existence of a "divergent" example. Indeed, Feist and Naimi provided just such an example in 2004. In this paper, we construct an uncountably infinite family of examples as a companion result.
Mathematical Association of America. 1529 Eighteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-741-9415; Tel: 202-387-5200; Fax: 202-387-1208; e-mail: maahq@maa.org; Web site: http://www.maa.org/pubs/cmj.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A