What are some sums of infinite series that are = to 'e'?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying various infinite series that converge to the mathematical constant 'e'. Participants explore known series and propose new representations, while also questioning the completeness of existing lists and the potential for discovering additional series.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions the well-known series 1 + 1/1! + 1/2! + 1/3! + ... converging to 'e'.
  • Several participants share links to Wikipedia pages listing representations of 'e', expressing curiosity about additional series.
  • Some participants humorously propose trivial series that equal 'e' based on specific definitions of functions.
  • There is a suggestion that the current lists of series summing to 'e' may not be exhaustive, with a belief that new representations could exist.
  • One participant questions the interest in finding new series, suggesting that rapid convergence might be a valuable criterion.
  • Another participant reflects on the significance of calculating 'e' to many decimal places and its historical context.
  • A proposal is made to find infinite series that sum to 1 and then multiply them by 'e' to generate new series for other constants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the completeness of known series summing to 'e', with some believing there are likely more representations while others question the interest in discovering them. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the existence of additional series.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the interest in finding new infinite series that sum to 'e' may be limited, particularly if they do not converge significantly faster than known series.

mesa
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We all know about the sum of the infinite series,

1 + 1/1! + 1/2! + 1/3! + ... to 1/inf! = e

What other series do we have that are equal to 'e'?
 
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mesa said:
I honestly don't know how you guys find so much more on Wikipedia than I do...

Either way, that is an excellent list of 'infinite series', are there any others?
I like $$e=\sum_{n\geq 0}f(n),$$ where ##\displaystyle f(n)=\left\{\begin{matrix}e & \text{if } n=0 \\ 0 & \text{if } n\neq 0\end{matrix}\right.##. :-p
 
Mandelbroth said:
I like $$e=\sum_{n\geq 0}f(n),$$ where ##\displaystyle f(n)=\left\{\begin{matrix}e & \text{if } n=0 \\ 0 & \text{if } n\neq 0\end{matrix}\right.##. :-p

That's different... :)
 
Mandelbroth said:
I like $$e=\sum_{n\geq 0}f(n),$$ where ##\displaystyle f(n)=\left\{\begin{matrix}e & \text{if } n=0 \\ 0 & \text{if } n\neq 0\end{matrix}\right.##. :-p
Personally, I prefer $$e=\sum_{n\geq 0}f(n),$$ where ##\displaystyle f(n)=\left\{\begin{matrix}e & \text{if } n=1 \\ 0 & \text{if } n\neq 1\end{matrix}\right.##
 
So is this all of them, as in if someone found something else outside of these then it's new to maths?
 
mesa said:
So is this all of them, as in if someone found something else outside of these then it's new to maths?
Do you honestly think we know all of mathematics?

I'd venture to guess that there are at least SOME (*cough*SUM*cough*) other representations out there. :-p
 
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Mandelbroth said:
Do you honestly think we know all of mathematics?...

Nope, just trying to see if someone else has more information. Do you have recommendations on where to find out more on the subject such as books, websites, etc.?
 
  • #10
mesa said:
Nope, just trying to see if someone else has more information. Do you have recommendations on where to find out more on the subject such as books, websites, etc.?
That list is not exhaustive. There is, as far as I know, not much interest in simply finding new infinite series that add up to 'e,' except perhaps if a new series converges much more rapidly than a previously known series.
 
  • #11
Jorriss said:
That list is not exhaustive. There is, as far as I know, not much interest in simply finding new infinite series that add up to 'e,' except perhaps if a new series converges much more rapidly than a previously known series.

I would imagine that would be valuable from a computing standpoint. What's the current record, 10 trillion decimal places or something to that effect?
 
  • #12
mesa said:
I would imagine that would be valuable from a computing standpoint. What's the current record, 10 trillion decimal places or something to that effect?
In what sense valuable? I do not believe there is much interest in finding more decimal places to e beyond the novelty of having found new decimals - though someone more knowledgeable can certainly correct me.
 
  • #13
mesa said:
Do you have recommendations on where to find out more on the subject such as books, websites, etc.?

Why not concentrate on finding infinite series that sum to 1 and then multiply them by e? That would let you find series that sum to \pi or 42 or whatever.
 
  • #14
Jorriss said:
In what sense valuable? I do not believe there is much interest in finding more decimal places to e beyond the novelty of having found new decimals - though someone more knowledgeable can certainly correct me.


I find it remarkable we live in a time where we know a 1,000,000,000,000+ decimal places of 'e'. Euler and the like would probably be in awe of such an accomplishment.

Also I think figuring out new ways of calculating 'e' is important since it could help us gain new insight and lead to better maths in the future (much like it has proven to do so in the past).
 
  • #15
Stephen Tashi said:
Why not concentrate on finding infinite series that sum to 1 and then multiply them by e? That would let you find series that sum to \pi or 42 or whatever.

Brilliant!

$$e=e*2\sum_{n= 2}^{∞}(n-1)/((2)n!)$$
$$42=42*2\sum_{n= 2}^{∞}(n-1)/((2)n!)$$
$$pi=pi*2\sum_{n= 2}^{∞}(n-1)/((2)n!)$$
$$llama=llama*2\sum_{n= 2}^{∞}(n-1)/((2)n!)$$

Yes I 'cheated' with the 2 multiplier but so far I have only been able to derive an infinite sum to 1/2 and finals are calling...
These things fun!
 

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