Need help with lim sqrt(n)/n as n-> infinity

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around evaluating the limit of the expression \(\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n!}\) and comparing it to \(\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n}\). Participants are exploring the behavior of factorials and their growth rates in the context of limits, particularly as \(n\) approaches infinity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Some participants attempt to express the limit in terms of products of individual terms, while others question the validity of this approach. There are hints suggesting the use of inequalities and properties of logarithms, as well as references to Stirling's approximation. Participants also discuss the implications of the nth root on the limit's behavior.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with various hints and approaches being shared. Some participants express confusion about how to apply suggested inequalities, while others provide insights into the growth of \(n!\) compared to \(n^n\). There is no explicit consensus, but multiple lines of reasoning are being explored.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework guidelines, which may limit the types of solutions or methods they can use. There is also a focus on understanding the underlying principles rather than arriving at a final answer.

twoflower
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Hi,

could you help me a bit with this limit?

[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n!}[/tex]

Sure it should be more than

[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n}[/tex]

But, when I write it as

[tex] <br /> \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n!} = \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n} . \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n-1} . \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n-2} ... \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{1}[/tex]

each term goes to 1, so I thought the limit could be 1, but that would be strange...

Thank you.
 
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Hint: Use the corollary that (1+h)^ n > 1+ hn. Also you know that limit of nth root n is 1.
 
Regard the following trick (regard even values of n):
[tex]n!=n^{n}\prod_{i=1}^{\frac{n}{2}}(1-\frac{i-1}{n})\prod_{j=1}^{\frac{n}{2}}(1-\frac{\frac{n}{2}+j-1}{n})[/tex]
Now,
[tex]\prod_{i=1}^{\frac{n}{2}}(1-\frac{i-1}{n})\geq\prod_{i=1}^{\frac{n}{2}}(1-\frac{1}{2})=(\frac{1}{2})^{\frac{n}{2}}[/tex]
And:
[tex]\prod_{j=1}^{\frac{n}{2}}(1-\frac{\frac{n}{2}+j-1}{n})\geq\frac{1}{n^{\frac{n}{2}}}[/tex]

Hence,
[tex]n!\geq{n}^{n}(\frac{1}{2})^{\frac{n}{2}}\frac{1}{n^{\frac{n}{2}}}=(\frac{n}{2})^{\frac{n}{2}}[/tex]

This should help you..
 
courtrigrad said:
Hint: Use the corollary that (1+h)^ n > 1+ hn. Also you know that limit of nth root n is 1.

Thank you, but I can't see how could I use the inequality you suggested. Could you be more specific please?
 
arildno said:
Hence,
[tex]n!\geq{n}^{n}(\frac{1}{2})^{\frac{n}{2}}\frac{1}{n^{\frac{n}{2}}}=(\frac{n}{2})^{\frac{n}{2}}[/tex]

This should help you..

So the thing you say is that

[tex] n! > \sqrt{ \frac{n^{n}}{2^{n}}}[/tex]

I know this thing goes to infinity. And is THIS the reason, why also

[tex] \sqrt[n]{n!}[/tex]

goes to infinity? But there is n-th root, why doesn't it make a difference?
 
arildno said:
Regard the following trick (regard even values of n):
[tex]n!=n^{n}\prod_{i=1}^{\frac{n}{2}}(1-\frac{i-1}{n})\prod_{j=1}^{\frac{n}{2}}(1-\frac{\frac{n}{2}+j-1}{n})[/tex]

Btw I can't imagine I would think up such a trick while writing a test
:mad:
 
twoflower said:
Btw I can't imagine I would think up such a trick while writing a test
:mad:
You must be Canadian.
 
BobG said:
You must be Canadian.

Why should I be Canadian?
 
twoflower said:
So the thing you say is that

[tex] n! > \sqrt{ \frac{n^{n}}{2^{n}}}[/tex]

I know this thing goes to infinity. And is THIS the reason, why also

[tex] \sqrt[n]{n!}[/tex]

goes to infinity? But there is n-th root, why doesn't it make a difference?
Of course, we have:
[tex](n!)^{\frac{1}{n}}>((\frac{n}{2})^{\frac{n}{2}})^{\frac{1}{n}}=\sqrt{\frac{n}{2}}[/tex]
 
  • #10
twoflower said:
Btw I can't imagine I would think up such a trick while writing a test
:mad:
You speak Canadian (see bold).

You open the lights and close lights, as well, right?
 
  • #11
BobG said:
You speak Canadian (see bold).

You open the lights and close lights, as well, right?

What's strange on writing ?
 
  • #12
twoflower said:
What's strange on writing ?


because Americans "take" a test
 
  • #13
rpc said:
because Americans "take" a test

Oh I see it now. It doesn't definitely mean I'm Canadian :) I'm just not that familiar with these phrases (although I know this one... :approve: )
 
  • #14
1st off: the reason why your method is wrong, is because you make the equality:
[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n!} = \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n}\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n-1} \ldots[/tex]

But when you take the limit of [itex]n\rightarrow\infty[/itex] the number of limits doesn't change as n increases. So you start of with n limits, multiplied with each other. Each individual limit has a limit of 1. But then you don't take into account that the number of limits multiplied together also changes, when n increases.

Anyways:
[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} \sqrt[n]{n!} =[/tex]
[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} e^{\frac{1}{n}\ln{n!}} [/tex]

Note again, that you can't write this as:
[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} e^{\frac{1}{n}(\ln{n}+\ln{n-1}+\ln{n-2}+...)} =[/tex]
and then take the limit of each logarithm separately. Again, because the number of logarithms also changes with n.

Instead, you could for instance use the Stirling inequality:
[tex] \ln n! > n\ln{n} - n[/tex]

[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} e^{\frac{1}{n}\ln{n!}} >[/tex]
[tex] \lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} e^{\frac{1}{n}(n\ln{n}-n)} = \infty[/tex]
 

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