If a sequence is eventually bounded then it is bounded

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the lemma from "Calculus Deconstructed" by Nitecki, which states that if a sequence is eventually bounded, then it is bounded. The user presents the sequence ##\tan {\frac{\pi}{n}}## as a counterexample but is corrected by another participant who clarifies that the sequence is not valid for all n, particularly at n=2 where it is undefined. The conclusion emphasizes that the lemma applies to sequences that are defined and bounded in both directions, not just one.

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Homework Statement



Hi, I've been solving Calculus Deconstructed by Nitecki and I've been confused by a particular lemma in the book. Namely:

If a sequence is eventually bounded, then it is bounded:
that is, to show that a sequence is bounded, we need only find a number
γ ∈ R such that the inequality

|x_i| < \gamma \ \text{holds for all i ≥ K, for some K}

Homework Equations


3. The Attempt at a Solution
[/B]
However if we consider the sequence ##\tan {\frac{\pi}{n}} ##, with n starting at 1. For terms when n is very high, we can find some value for ##\gamma## for which the condition holds and thus the sequence is bounded (according to the lemma). Yet at n=1, ##\tan {\frac{\pi}{n}} = \infty##, so the sequence cannot be bounded.

My questions are:

1. Is my reasoning at all correct in the first place ?

2. It is easy to see that my sequence does have a lower bound but no upper bound, so does the lemma only refer to one bound (But doesn't bounded mean bounded in both directions?)

Thanks for reading!
 
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pixelate said:

Homework Statement



Hi, I've been solving Calculus Deconstructed by Nitecki and I've been confused by a particular lemma in the book. Namely:

If a sequence is eventually bounded, then it is bounded:
that is, to show that a sequence is bounded, we need only find a number
γ ∈ R such that the inequality

|x_i| < \gamma \ \text{holds for all i ≥ K, for some K}

Homework Equations


3. The Attempt at a Solution
[/B]
However if we consider the sequence ##\tan {\frac{\pi}{n}} ##, with n starting at 1. For terms when n is very high, we can find some value for ##\gamma## for which the condition holds and thus the sequence is bounded (according to the lemma). Yet at n=1, ##\tan {\frac{\pi}{n}} = \infty##, so the sequence cannot be bounded.

My questions are:

1. Is my reasoning at all correct in the first place ?

2. It is easy to see that my sequence does have a lower bound but no upper bound, so does the lemma only refer to one bound (But doesn't bounded mean bounded in both directions?)

Thanks for reading!

You don't have a valid sequence, so that is not a counterexample to anything.

Anyway, at ##n = 1## we have ##\tan(\pi) = 0##, so that is OK. The trouble occurs at ##n = 2##.

But, I say it again: you don't have a valid sequence of real numbers with this example.
 
Ray Vickson said:
But, I say it again: you don't have a valid sequence of real numbers with this example.

.Oh I see, that's very illuminating thank you. Of course at n=2, the the element of the sequence is undefined and it is not infinite at all. I feel silly for making such a basic mistake now.
 

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