Basic problem with supremum question.

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In summary, the conversation is about someone revising for an exam and trying to prove that the supremum of a given set is 3/5. They have found an upper bound of 3/5 and are now trying to prove that it is the least upper bound. They need help rearranging the inequality and finding a natural number N to support their proof.
  • #1
tamintl
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Hey guys!

Revising for an exam and I've come across a pretty basic problem.

Question: Prove that the supremum of the set A : { 3n / (5n+1) :n€N} is 3/5

My answer: So 3n / (5n+1) ≤ 3n / 5n = 3/5 so 3/5 is an upper bound.

Now, We claim that 3/5 is the least upper bound. Take β < 3/5 so now I need a positive integer n > ...This is bit I don't know how to do... (how do I choose this part?)
I then know that you re-arrange n>... to see that the β we chose earlier is: β < 3n / (5n+1) which is impossible, hence Sup(A) = 3/5

I hope you understand what I mean..
Regards as always
Tam
 
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  • #2
You should rearrange your inequality somehow to show that for any given ε > 0, you can find some natural number N such that 3N / (5N + 1) > 3/5 - ε. I haven't tried it out myself, but this should be the concept, unless I'm mistaken.
 
  • #3
radou said:
You should rearrange your inequality somehow to show that for any given ε > 0, you can find some natural number N such that 3N / (5N + 1) > 3/5 - ε. I haven't tried it out myself, but this should be the concept, unless I'm mistaken.

Are you sure? The solutions I have are vague to say the least, but would you have any idea how I could do this?
 
  • #4
Solve the inequality
[tex]\frac{3N}{5N+1}> \beta[/tex]
for [itex]\beta< 3/5[/itex]
or, equivalently,
[tex]\frac{3N}{5N+1}> \frac{3}{5}- \epsilon[/tex]
for N.
 

1. What is the basic problem with the supremum question?

The basic problem with the supremum question is that it can be difficult to determine the exact supremum (or least upper bound) for a set of numbers, especially when dealing with infinite sets or non-continuous functions.

2. How does the concept of supremum relate to limits?

The supremum of a set can be thought of as the limit of the set as it approaches infinity. However, unlike a limit, the supremum is an actual value that is either contained within the set or just slightly larger than the set.

3. Can the supremum of a set be equal to one of its elements?

Yes, the supremum of a set can be equal to one of its elements. This occurs when the element is the largest value in the set and there is no other element that is greater than it.

4. How is the supremum of a set different from the maximum value?

The supremum of a set is the smallest real number that is larger than or equal to all elements in the set. The maximum value, on the other hand, is simply the largest element in the set.

5. Are there any practical applications of the supremum question?

Yes, the concept of supremum is widely used in mathematics and has practical applications in fields such as optimization, economics, and statistics. It is also a fundamental concept in the study of real analysis and measure theory.

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