Determine if the sum Converges or Diverges

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the convergence or divergence of a series. Participants are exploring various tests and limits related to the series in question.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the application of the ratio test and the implications of limits on convergence. There are attempts to analyze specific functions and their behavior as they approach infinity. Questions arise regarding the interpretation of certain mathematical expressions and their relevance to the problem.

Discussion Status

Several participants have offered insights into the problem, including the evaluation of limits and the use of integral estimates. There is an ongoing exploration of different approaches, with no explicit consensus reached on the convergence of the series.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about specific mathematical functions and their implications for the series. There is mention of homework constraints that may limit the methods available for analysis.

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Homework Statement



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The Attempt at a Solution



1. I have no idea. I know that the summation of the series converges.


2. I think it would diverge because the limit of the function does not equal zero.


3. I have tried the ratio test and got 1. Can't use the alternating series test because when ignoring signs the function increases.
 
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For 3 what's the limit of (5n-1)/(n+5) and what does that tell you about convergence? For 1 I think they might be asking you to estimate the difference using an integral.
 
2) is correct
3) Think about the function [itex]f(x)=\ln x[/itex]
 
Last edited:
Dick said:
For 3 what's the limit of (5n-1)/(n+5) and what does that tell you about convergence? For 1 I think they might be asking you to estimate the difference using an integral.

The limit of (5n-1)/(n+5) as x approaches infinity equals 5 thus meaning that the series in divergent? I think
 
hunt_mat said:
2) is correct
3) Think about the function [itex]f(x)=\ln x[/itex]
[itex][/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> I'm not sure what [itex]f(x)=\ln x[/quote] means. Can you plus explain.[/itex][/itex]
 
McAfee said:
The limit of (5n-1)/(n+5) as x approaches infinity equals 5 thus meaning that the series in divergent? I think

Right. If the nth term of a series doesn't approach 0 then it's always divergent. Now can you write an integral that's greater than the difference in 1?
 

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