How does the limit comparison test for integrability go?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the limit comparison test for integrability, specifically regarding the conditions under which one function's improper integrability can be inferred from another. The original statement presented by the teacher involves functions f and g defined on the interval [a,b) and the limit of their ratio as x approaches b. The participant, Julien, seeks clarification on the role of the variable "c" and proposes a reformulation of the test into two parts. The conversation concludes with a reference to a more coherent presentation of the theorem found in lecture notes, specifically theorem 17.3.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of improper integrals and Riemann integrability
  • Familiarity with limit concepts in calculus
  • Knowledge of function behavior as it approaches infinity
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  • Study the limit comparison test for integrability in detail
  • Review theorem 17.3 from the provided lecture notes for clarity
  • Explore examples of improper integrals and their convergence properties
  • Investigate the implications of using |f(x)| in integrability tests
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JulienB
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Hi everybody! I have another question about integrability, especially about the limit comparison test. The script my teacher wrote states:

(roughly translated from German)
Limit test: Let -∞ < a < b ≤ ∞ and the functions f: [a,b) → [0,∞) and f: [a,b) → (0,∞) be proper integrable for any c ∈ [a,b). Let lim x↑b f(x)/g(x) =: h exist. Then:
(i) If h > 0, then is f improper integrable on [a,b) if and only if g is improper integrable on [a,b).
(ii) If h = 0, then is f improper integrable on [a,b) if g is improper integrable on [a,b).

So...that statement only makes little sense to me, and I believe there must be at least one mistake there: what's up with that "c"?? I'd like to reformulate that test in two parts (integrability and non integrability) and so in a more logical way for myself. Let me know if that holds (apart from wherever the mistake is with "c"):

1. Let f: [a,b) → [0,∞) and f: [a,b) → (0,∞) are proper (Riemann?) integrable for any c ∈ [a,b), g is improper integrable on [a,b) and lim x↑b f(x)/g(x) 0, then f is improper integrable on [a,b).

2. Let f: [a,b) → [0,∞) and f: [a,b) → (0,∞) are proper (Riemann?) integrable for any c ∈ [a,b), g is not improper integrable on [a,b) and lim x↑b f(x)/g(x) > 0, then f is not improper integrable on [a,b).

This all looks very absurd to me! :/ I also can't seem to find anything about such a test on the internet, that's weird! Does it even exist in the first place?Thank you very much in advance for your answers.Julien.
 
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JulienB said:
I think I found it here, written in a much better way: http://home.iitk.ac.in/~psraj/mth101/lecture_notes/lecture18.pdf (theorem 17.3). May I write the same with |f(x)| instead of f(x) ≥ 0?

Thank you in advance for your help.Julien.
Not exactly clear how you want to formulate the adapted version of theorem 17.3.
If the condition is supposed to become ##\displaystyle \lim_{x \rightarrow +\infty}\frac{|f(x)|}{g(x)}= c \neq 0##, then no. You can easily construct a function f such that the improper integral of ##f## converges, while the improper integral of ##|f|## (and hence of ##g## by theorem 17.3) diverges.
 

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