A harmonic series without the nines

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SUMMARY

The harmonic series, defined as the sum of reciprocals (1/1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + ...), is infinite; however, excluding terms containing the digit nine results in a sum of just under 23. Analysis shows that from 1 to 100, 19% of terms are excluded, while from 1 to 1000, this percentage increases to 27.1%. A formula can be derived to calculate the percentage of N-digit numbers containing the digit nine, where there are 10^N total numbers and 9^N numbers without the digit nine. This leads to a straightforward equation for determining the fraction of numbers with and without the digit nine up to N digits.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of harmonic series and infinite sums
  • Basic knowledge of number theory and digit analysis
  • Familiarity with exponential notation (e.g., 10^N, 9^N)
  • Ability to derive and manipulate mathematical formulas
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  • Research the properties of harmonic series and their convergence
  • Explore combinatorial mathematics related to digit occurrence
  • Study the implications of excluding specific digits in number theory
  • Learn about generating functions and their applications in series
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Mathematicians, educators, students studying number theory, and anyone interested in the properties of harmonic series and digit exclusion in numerical analysis.

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TL;DR
The sum of an harmonic series without numbers containing a nine is finite
The sum of the harmonic series(1/1+1/2+1/3...) is infinite. However, if you exclude all the terms that contain the number nine, the sum is just under 23.
From 1 to 100 19% of the terms are excluded
From 1 to 1000 27.1% of the terms are excluded
Is there a formula for a N digit number what the percentage of numbers from 1 to N that contain a 9?
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
There are 10N numbers with up to N digits (or exactly N digits if we use leading zeros) because every digit has 10 options. There 9N numbers with up to N digits but no 9 for the same reason. That leads to a simple equation for the fraction of numbers with/without 9 up to N digits.
 

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