MHB  Prove $\frac{1}{2}<S<1$ in Sequence Challenge

anemone
Gold Member
MHB
POTW Director
Messages
3,851
Reaction score
115
Given that $S=1-\dfrac{1}{2}+\dfrac{1}{3}-\dfrac{1}{4} + ...+\dfrac{1}{99}-\dfrac{1}{100}$.

Prove that $\dfrac{1}{2}<S<1$.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
$$S = \left ( 1 - \frac{1}{2} \right ) + \left ( \frac{1}{3} - \frac{1}{4} \right ) + \cdots + \left ( \frac{1}{99} - \frac{1}{100} \right ) > \left ( 1 - \frac{1}{2} \right ) = \frac{1}{2}$$
$$S = 1 - \left ( \frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{3} \right ) - \left ( \frac{1}{4} - \frac{1}{5} \right ) - \cdots - \frac{1}{100} < 1$$
$\blacksquare$
 
Last edited:
Good job, Bacterius! And thanks for participating!
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...
Back
Top