How do I simplify this expression with a floor function?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around simplifying an expression involving a floor function, specifically the ratio of two ceiling functions: \(\frac{\left \lceil (n+1)^{P} \right \rceil}{\left \lceil n^{P} \right \rceil}\). Participants explore various methods to isolate \(P\) and make it more accessible in the expression, considering both theoretical and practical implications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest using logarithmic transformations to express \(P\) more clearly, such as through \(\log\) functions.
  • Others propose introducing dummy terms within the ceiling function to facilitate simplification, indicating that this can help approximate the desired expression.
  • A participant questions how to isolate \(P\) when using a dummy term in the expression \(\frac{(n+1)^P + w}{n^P + v}\).
  • There are inquiries about the conditions of \(P\) and \(n\), with some participants emphasizing the need for bounds or relations in the context of the problem.
  • Some participants discuss bounding techniques, suggesting that the ratio can be expressed in terms of simpler bounds, leading to potential estimates for \(P\).
  • Concerns are raised about the solvability of the expression for \(P\), particularly when \(P\) is not an integer, and suggestions are made to explore limits as \(n\) or \(P\) vary.
  • A participant mentions perturbation theory as a possible approach for dealing with algebraic problems that are not exactly solvable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various methods and approaches to the problem, but there is no consensus on a single method or solution. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best way to simplify the expression and isolate \(P\).

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependence on the definitions of \(P\) and \(n\), as well as the unresolved nature of the mathematical steps involved in isolating \(P\). The discussion also highlights the complexity of the problem, particularly when \(P\) is not an integer.

japplepie
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I would want to change this expression to another one that would have P easily accessible.

\frac{\left \lceil (n+1)^{P} \right \rceil}{\left \lceil n^{P} \right \rceil}

As an example of 'accessible'; given (n+1)^P / n^P, I can make P more accessible by using log(). Then it becomes P * (log(n+1)-log(n)), where P is just outside everything else and is easily accessible by just dividing by something.
 
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I have seen two different approaches to this sort of problem.
1) Make a conversion inside the ceiling function, such as ##e^{p \log (n+1) } ##
2) Add in a dummy term 0<w<1 such that the ceiling (n+1)^p = (n+1)^p +w.
The second option often let's you get sufficiently close to the answer you need.
 
RUber said:
I have seen two different approaches to this sort of problem.
1) Make a conversion inside the ceiling function, such as ##e^{p \log (n+1) } ##
2) Add in a dummy term 0<w<1 such that the ceiling (n+1)^p = (n+1)^p +w.
The second option often let's you get sufficiently close to the answer you need.

Regarding the 2nd option,

I don't understand how to bring out P in the expression, ((n+1)^P + w1) / (n^P + w0)
 
Do you have any information about P or n, ## n \in \mathbb{N}?, P>0 \in \mathbb{R}?##
What is the outcome you are looking for? Is it a bound of some sort, or a relation?
You could say that ceiling(n+1)^p = (n+1+w)^p. w would still be bounded in [0,1), and would tend toward zero much more reliably than having it outside the exponent.
 
RUber said:
Do you have any information about P or n, ## n \in \mathbb{N}?, P>0 \in \mathbb{R}?##
What is the outcome you are looking for? Is it a bound of some sort, or a relation?
You could say that ceiling(n+1)^p = (n+1+w)^p. w would still be bounded in [0,1), and would tend toward zero much more reliably than having it outside the exponent.

P is a real number greater than 0
n is a natural number (including 0)

I'm trying to make a convergence acceleration formula for a (rounded up) sequence of numbers, then it eventually leads to this problem:

seq(n) = ceil ((n+1)^P) / ceil (n^P) , for any real P>0

which requires me to completely isolate P on its own to one side of an equation

Note:
seq(n) isn't the sequence that I'm trying to accelerate the convergence on, it's just derived from something else.
 
Last edited:
If you use ##R = \frac{ (n+1+w )^p }{(n+v)^p} = \left( \frac{n+1+w }{n+v}\right)^p ##
then, ##\ln R = p \ln \left( \frac{n+1+w }{n+v}\right). ##
So, just in using the range [0,1) for w,v you can bound it by:
##\ln \left(\frac{ n+1 }{n+1}\right) < \frac{\ln R}{p}< \ln \left(\frac{n+2 }{n}\right) ##

Is that a set of bounds you can work with? Or do you need finer resolution on how quickly w and v go to zero so you can estimate how close to ##p \ln \frac{n+1}{n}## the rate really is?
 
RUber said:
If you use ##R = \frac{ (n+1+w )^p }{(n+v)^p} = \left( \frac{n+1+w }{n+v}\right)^p ##
then, ##\ln R = p \ln \left( \frac{n+1+w }{n+v}\right). ##
So, just in using the range [0,1) for w,v you can bound it by:
##\ln \left(\frac{ n+1 }{n+1}\right) < \frac{\ln R}{p}< \ln \left(\frac{n+2 }{n}\right) ##

Is that a set of bounds you can work with? Or do you need finer resolution on how quickly w and v go to zero so you can estimate how close to ##p \ln \frac{n+1}{n}## the rate really is?
I think the first step would actually be:

R= ((n+1)^P + w) / (n^P + v)

If it is, I have no idea how to go on from there..
 
Good point. Upon further investigation, the assumption that you could bring a small number inside the exponential fell apart pretty quickly.

However, staying with the bounding idea,
##\frac{ (n+1)^p }{n^p +1 } <\frac{ \lceil (n+1)^p \rceil }{ \lceil (n)^p \rceil } < \frac{ (n+1)^p +1}{n^p }##
Which letting ## Q =\frac{ (n+1)^p }{ (n)^p }## can be simplified to:
## \frac{Q}{1+ \frac{1}{n^p} } < R < Q + \frac{1}{n^p} ##
The upper bound is pretty straightforward, the lower bound can be expressed as:
## \frac{Q}{1+ \frac{1}{n^p} } = Q - \frac{Q}{n^p} + \frac{Q}{n^{2p}}- \frac{Q}{n^{3p}} ...##

Is this perhaps a form you could use to estimate your error bounds? Everything is expressed as a power of p, but not in such a form that you can just take the log of it straight away.
 
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RUber said:
Good point. Upon further investigation, the assumption that you could bring a small number inside the exponential fell apart pretty quickly.

However, staying with the bounding idea,
##\frac{ (n+1)^p }{n^p +1 } <\frac{ \lceil (n+1)^p \rceil }{ \lceil (n)^p \rceil } < \frac{ (n+1)^p +1}{n^p }##
Which letting ## Q =\frac{ (n+1)^p }{ (n)^p }## can be simplified to:
## \frac{Q}{1+ \frac{1}{n^p} } < R < Q + \frac{1}{n^p} ##
The upper bound is pretty straightforward, the lower bound can be expressed as:
## \frac{Q}{1+ \frac{1}{n^p} } = Q - \frac{Q}{n^p} + \frac{Q}{n^{2p}}- \frac{Q}{n^{3p}} ...##

Is this perhaps a form you could use to estimate your error bounds? Everything is expressed as a power of p, but not in such a form that you can just take the log of it straight away.
That's very clever; I think I would be able to use it.

Thanks for the help!

------------
Edit:
What I decided to do next is to solve for the minimum and maximum values of P using the 2 bounds.

I'm having trouble with solving for P in the expression:

\frac{(n+1)^{P}}{n^{P}+1}=X

Is this even solvable?
 
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  • #10
I can't seem to get right to a solution.

If p were an integer, there are ways to simplify it with polynomial methods.
Otherwise, you can discuss the limits as n or p are large or small.
For p close to zero and n > 0, this will tend toward 1/2.
For p>1, as n grows this will tend toward 1.
Note that for an integer p,
##(n+1)^p = \sum_{i=0}^p \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i=n^p + 1 + \sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i.##
So, you could simplify
##\frac{(n+1)^p}{n^p + 1} = 1 + \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i}{n^p + 1}.##

Generally, I would plot the log of convergence factor vs. n. The slope of this plot should be an approximation for your exponent for the convergence rate ##e^x##, with x being a negative value.
 
  • #11
RUber said:
I can't seem to get right to a solution.

If p were an integer, there are ways to simplify it with polynomial methods.
Otherwise, you can discuss the limits as n or p are large or small.
For p close to zero and n > 0, this will tend toward 1/2.
For p>1, as n grows this will tend toward 1.
Note that for an integer p,
##(n+1)^p = \sum_{i=0}^p \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i=n^p + 1 + \sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i.##
So, you could simplify
##\frac{(n+1)^p}{n^p + 1} = 1 + \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i}{n^p + 1}.##

Generally, I would plot the log of convergence factor vs. n. The slope of this plot should be an approximation for your exponent for the convergence rate ##e^x##, with x being a negative value.
Unfortunately, I have no idea about what you said (I don't have that much of a background in maths, sorry)

But I have been searching around to look for ways to solve this and I found that perturbation theory could solve algebraic problems that are not exactly solvable; would that work?

I would try it out myself but I don't know how to, all the examples I could find and (kinda) understand aren't applicable in my case.
 
  • #12
The ##\begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}## notation means the combination or "n choose i" operation which simplifies to:
##\begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}=\frac{n!}{(n-i)!i!}##
I made a mistake in the original formula:
RUber said:
for integer p,
##(n+1)^p = \sum_{i=0}^p \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i=n^p + 1 + \sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i.##
So, you could simplify
##\frac{(n+1)^p}{n^p + 1} = 1 + \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} n\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i}{n^p + 1}.##
Should be
for integer p,
##(n+1)^p = \sum_{i=0}^p \begin{pmatrix} p\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i=n^p + 1 + \sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} p\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i.##

If you are just looking to estimate, you could only keep the highest order term in the expansion:
##\frac{(n+1)^p}{n^p + 1} = 1 + \frac{\sum_{i=1}^{p-1} \begin{pmatrix} p\\i\end{pmatrix}n^i}{n^p + 1}\\
=1 +\frac{pn^{p-1}}{n^p}+\mathcal{O}(n^{-2}) \\
\approx 1+ \frac pn.##
 

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