MHB Natural Log Inequality: True or Misunderstanding?

Click For Summary
The discussion centers on the inequality $(\ln n)^a < n$ for all values of $a$, with participants debating its validity. It is clarified that the inequality is false when considering the limit as $n approaches infinity. An example provided is $\ln^3(e^2)$, which illustrates that the inequality does not hold universally. The conversation emphasizes the importance of context, particularly in relation to limits, and the misunderstanding arises from not specifying the conditions under which the inequality is evaluated. Ultimately, the consensus is that the inequality does not hold true as $n approaches infinity.
tmt1
Messages
230
Reaction score
0
I was talking to my professor and she said that $(ln n)^a < n$ for all values of $a$. Is this true or was I misunderstanding?
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
It's false. Consider $\ln^3\left(e^2\right)$ and note that $e^2\approx7.4$.
 
greg1313 said:
It's false. Consider $\ln^3\left(e^2\right)$ and note that $e^2\approx7.4$.

I forgot an important detail. This is in context of $n$ approaching infinity.
 
You 'forgot' that? You completely denied it when you said "for all n"!
 
This is essentially a question of limits - moved to Pre-Calculus.

tmt, do you think it's true? False? Explain your reasoning.
 
I have been insisting to my statistics students that for probabilities, the rule is the number of significant figures is the number of digits past the leading zeros or leading nines. For example to give 4 significant figures for a probability: 0.000001234 and 0.99999991234 are the correct number of decimal places. That way the complementary probability can also be given to the same significant figures ( 0.999998766 and 0.00000008766 respectively). More generally if you have a value that...

Similar threads

  • · Replies 44 ·
2
Replies
44
Views
5K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
1K