Sequences of natural numbers. Numbers

Subsequence

Subsequence- This kit elements of some set:

• for each natural number you can specify an element of a given set;
• this number is the number of the element and indicates the position of this element in the sequence;
• For any element (member) of a sequence, you can specify the next element of the sequence.

So the sequence turns out to be the result consistent selection of elements of a given set. And, if any set of elements is finite, and we talk about a sample of finite volume, then the sequence turns out to be a sample of infinite volume.

A sequence is by its nature a mapping, so it should not be confused with a set that “runs through” the sequence.

In mathematics, many different sequences are considered:

• time series of both numerical and non-numerical nature;
• sequences of elements of metric space
• sequences of functional space elements
• sequences of states of control systems and machines.

The purpose of studying all possible sequences is to search for patterns, predict future states and generate sequences.

Definition

Let a certain set of elements of arbitrary nature be given. | Any mapping from a set of natural numbers to a given set is called sequence(elements of the set).

The image of a natural number, namely, the element, is called - th member or sequence element, and the ordinal number of a member of the sequence is its index.

Related definitions

• If we take an increasing sequence of natural numbers, then it can be considered as a sequence of indices of some sequence: if we take the elements of the original sequence with the corresponding indices (taken from the increasing sequence of natural numbers), then we can again get a sequence called subsequence given sequence.

Comments

• In mathematical analysis, an important concept is the limit of a number sequence.

Designations

Sequences of the form

It is customary to write compactly using parentheses:

Curly braces are sometimes used:

Allowing some freedom of speech, we can also consider finite sequences of the form

which represent the image of the initial segment of a sequence of natural numbers.

see also

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Sequence” is in other dictionaries:

SUBSEQUENCE. In I.V. Kireevsky’s article “The Nineteenth Century” (1830) we read: “From the very fall of the Roman Empire to our times, the enlightenment of Europe appears to us in gradual development and in uninterrupted sequence” (vol. 1, p.... ... History of words

SEQUENCE, sequences, plural. no, female (book). distracted noun to sequential. A sequence of events. Consistency in the changing tides. Consistency in reasoning. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary.... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Constancy, continuity, logic; row, progression, conclusion, series, string, turn, chain, chain, cascade, relay race; persistence, validity, set, methodicality, arrangement, harmony, tenacity, subsequence, connection, queue,... ... Synonym dictionary

SEQUENCE, numbers or elements arranged in an organized manner. Sequences can be finite (having a limited number of elements) or infinite, such as the complete sequence of natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 ....... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

SEQUENCE, a set of numbers (mathematical expressions, etc.; they say: elements of any nature), numbered by natural numbers. The sequence is written as x1, x2,..., xn,... or briefly (xi) ... Modern encyclopedia

One of the basic concepts of mathematics. The sequence is formed by elements of any nature, numbered with natural numbers 1, 2, ..., n, ..., and written as x1, x2, ..., xn, ... or briefly (xn) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Subsequence- SEQUENCE, a set of numbers (mathematical expressions, etc.; they say: elements of any nature), numbered by natural numbers. The sequence is written as x1, x2, ..., xn, ... or briefly (xi). ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

SEQUENCE, and, female. 1. See sequential. 2. In mathematics: an infinite ordered set of numbers. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

English succession/sequence; German Konsequenz. 1. The order of one after another. 2. One of the basic concepts of mathematics. 3. The quality of correct logical thinking, in which reasoning is free from internal contradictions in one and the other... ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

Subsequence- “a function defined on the set of natural numbers, the set of values ​​of which can consist of elements of any nature: numbers, points, functions, vectors, sets, random variables, etc., numbered by natural numbers... Economic-mathematical dictionary

Books

• We build a sequence. Kittens. 2-3 years. Game "Kittens". We build a sequence. Level 1. Series "Preschool education". Cheerful kittens decided to sunbathe on the beach! But they can’t divide the places. Help them...

The simplest number is natural number. They are used in everyday life for counting objects, i.e. to calculate their number and order.

What is a natural number: natural numbers name the numbers that are used to counting items or to indicate the serial number of any item from all homogeneous items.

Integersare numbers starting from one. They are formed naturally when counting.For example, 1,2,3,4,5... -first natural numbers.

Smallest natural number- one. There is no greatest natural number. When counting the number Zero is not used, so zero is a natural number.

Natural number series is the sequence of all natural numbers. Writing natural numbers:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ...

In the natural series, each number is greater than the previous one by one.

How many numbers are there in the natural series? The natural series is infinite; the largest natural number does not exist.

Decimal since 10 units of any digit form 1 unit of the highest digit. Positionally so how the meaning of a digit depends on its place in the number, i.e. from the category where it is written.

Classes of natural numbers.

Any natural number can be written using 10 Arabic numerals:

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

To read natural numbers, they are divided, starting from the right, into groups of 3 digits each. 3 first the numbers on the right are the class of units, the next 3 are the class of thousands, then the classes of millions, billions andetc. Each of the class digits is called itsdischarge.

Comparison of natural numbers.

Of 2 natural numbers, the smaller is the number that is called earlier when counting. For example, number 7 less 11 (written like this:7 < 11 ). When one number is greater than the second, it is written like this:386 > 99 .

Table of digits and classes of numbers.

Mathematics is the science that builds the world. Both the scientist and the common man - no one can do without it. First, young children are taught to count, then add, subtract, multiply and divide; by middle school, letter symbols come into play, and in high school they can no longer be avoided.

But today we will talk about what all known mathematics is based on. About a community of numbers called “sequence limits”.

What are sequences and where is their limit?

The meaning of the word “sequence” is not difficult to interpret. This is an arrangement of things where someone or something is located in a certain order or queue. For example, the queue for tickets to the zoo is a sequence. And there can only be one! If, for example, you look at the queue at the store, this is one sequence. And if one person from this queue suddenly leaves, then this is a different queue, a different order.

The word “limit” is also easily interpreted - it is the end of something. However, in mathematics, the limits of sequences are those values ​​on the number line to which a sequence of numbers tends. Why does it strive and not end? It's simple, the number line has no end, and most sequences, like rays, have only a beginning and look like this:

x 1, x 2, x 3,...x n...

Hence the definition of a sequence is a function of the natural argument. In simpler words, this is a series of members of a certain set.

How is the number sequence constructed?

A simple example of a number sequence might look like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, …n…

In most cases, for practical purposes, sequences are built from numbers, and each next member of the series, let's denote it X, has its own name. For example:

x 1 is the first member of the sequence;

x 2 is the second term of the sequence;

x 3 is the third term;

x n is the nth term.

In practical methods, the sequence is given by a general formula in which there is a certain variable. For example:

X n =3n, then the series of numbers itself will look like this:

It is worth remembering that when writing sequences in general, you can use any Latin letters, not just X. For example: y, z, k, etc.

Arithmetic progression as part of sequences

Before looking for the limits of sequences, it is advisable to plunge deeper into the very concept of such a number series, which everyone encountered when they were in middle school. An arithmetic progression is a series of numbers in which the difference between adjacent terms is constant.

Problem: “Let a 1 = 15, and the progression step of the number series d = 4. Construct the first 4 terms of this series"

Solution: a 1 = 15 (by condition) is the first term of the progression (number series).

and 2 = 15+4=19 is the second term of the progression.

and 3 =19+4=23 is the third term.

and 4 =23+4=27 is the fourth term.

However, using this method it is difficult to reach large values, for example up to a 125. . Especially for such cases, a formula convenient for practice was derived: a n =a 1 +d(n-1). In this case, a 125 =15+4(125-1)=511.

Types of sequences

Most of the sequences are endless, it's worth remembering for the rest of your life. There are two interesting types of number series. The first is given by the formula a n =(-1) n. Mathematicians often call this sequence a flasher. Why? Let's check its number series.

1, 1, -1, 1, -1, 1, etc. With an example like this, it becomes clear that numbers in sequences can easily be repeated.

Factorial sequence. It's easy to guess - the formula defining the sequence contains a factorial. For example: a n = (n+1)!

Then the sequence will look like this:

a 2 = 1x2x3 = 6;

and 3 = 1x2x3x4 = 24, etc.

A sequence defined by an arithmetic progression is called infinitely decreasing if the inequality -1 is observed for all its terms

and 3 = - 1/8, etc.

There is even a sequence consisting of the same number. So, n =6 consists of an infinite number of sixes.

Determining the Sequence Limit

Sequence limits have long existed in mathematics. Of course, they deserve their own competent design. So, time to learn the definition of sequence limits. First, let's look at the limit for a linear function in detail:

1. All limits are abbreviated as lim.
2. The notation of a limit consists of the abbreviation lim, any variable tending to a certain number, zero or infinity, as well as the function itself.

It is easy to understand that the definition of the limit of a sequence can be formulated as follows: it is a certain number to which all members of the sequence infinitely approach. A simple example: a x = 4x+1. Then the sequence itself will look like this.

5, 9, 13, 17, 21…x…

Thus, this sequence will increase indefinitely, which means its limit is equal to infinity as x→∞, and it should be written like this:

If we take a similar sequence, but x tends to 1, we get:

And the series of numbers will be like this: 1.4, 1.8, 4.6, 4.944, etc. Each time you need to substitute the number closer to one (0.1, 0.2, 0.9, 0.986). From this series it is clear that the limit of the function is five.

From this part it is worth remembering what the limit of a numerical sequence is, the definition and method for solving simple problems.

General designation for the limit of sequences

Having examined the limit of a number sequence, its definition and examples, you can proceed to a more complex topic. Absolutely all limits of sequences can be formulated by one formula, which is usually analyzed in the first semester.

So, what does this set of letters, modules and inequality signs mean?

∀ is a universal quantifier, replacing the phrases “for all”, “for everything”, etc.

∃ is an existential quantifier, in this case it means that there is some value N belonging to the set of natural numbers.

A long vertical stick following N means that the given set N is “such that.” In practice, it can mean “such that”, “such that”, etc.

To reinforce the material, read the formula out loud.

Uncertainty and certainty of the limit

The method of finding the limit of sequences, which was discussed above, although simple to use, is not so rational in practice. Try to find the limit for this function:

If we substitute different values ​​of “x” (increasing each time: 10, 100, 1000, etc.), then we get ∞ in the numerator, but also ∞ in the denominator. This results in a rather strange fraction:

But is this really so? Calculating the limit of a number sequence in this case seems quite easy. It would be possible to leave everything as it is, because the answer is ready, and it was received under reasonable conditions, but there is another way specifically for such cases.

First, let's find the highest degree in the numerator of the fraction - this is 1, since x can be represented as x 1.

Now let's find the highest degree in the denominator. Also 1.

Let's divide both the numerator and the denominator by the variable to the highest degree. In this case, divide the fraction by x 1.

Next, we will find what value each term containing a variable tends to. In this case, fractions are considered. As x→∞, the value of each fraction tends to zero. When submitting your work in writing, you should make the following footnotes:

This results in the following expression:

Of course, fractions containing x did not become zeros! But their value is so small that it is completely permissible not to take it into account in calculations. In fact, x will never be equal to 0 in this case, because you cannot divide by zero.

What is a neighborhood?

Suppose the professor has at his disposal a complex sequence, given, obviously, by an equally complex formula. The professor has found the answer, but is it correct? After all, all people make mistakes.

Auguste Cauchy once came up with an excellent way to prove the limits of sequences. His method was called neighborhood manipulation.

Suppose that there is a certain point a, its neighborhood in both directions on the number line is equal to ε (“epsilon”). Since the last variable is distance, its value is always positive.

Now let's define some sequence x n and assume that the tenth term of the sequence (x 10) is included in the neighborhood of a. How can we write this fact in mathematical language?

Let's say x 10 is to the right of point a, then the distance x 10 -a<ε, однако, если расположить «икс десятое» левее точки а, то расстояние получится отрицательным, а это невозможно, значит, следует занести левую часть неравенства под модуль. Получится |х 10 -а|<ε.

Now it’s time to explain in practice the formula discussed above. It is fair to call a certain number a the end point of a sequence if for any of its limits the inequality ε>0 holds, and the entire neighborhood has its own natural number N, such that all members of the sequence with higher numbers will be inside the sequence |x n - a|< ε.

With such knowledge, it is easy to solve the sequence limits and prove or disprove a ready-made answer.

Theorems

Theorems on the limits of sequences are an important component of the theory, without which practice is impossible. There are only four main theorems, remembering which can greatly simplify the process of solving or proving:

1. Uniqueness of the limit of a sequence. Any sequence can have only one limit or none at all. The same example with a queue that can only have one end.
2. If a series of numbers has a limit, then the sequence of these numbers is limited.
3. The limit of the sum (difference, product) of sequences is equal to the sum (difference, product) of their limits.
4. The limit of the quotient of dividing two sequences is equal to the quotient of the limits if and only if the denominator does not vanish.

Proof of sequences

Sometimes you need to solve an inverse problem, to prove a given limit of a numerical sequence. Let's look at an example.

Prove that the limit of the sequence given by the formula is zero.

According to the rule discussed above, for any sequence the inequality |x n - a|<ε. Подставим заданное значение и точку отсчёта. Получим:

Let us express n through “epsilon” to show the existence of a certain number and prove the presence of a limit of the sequence.

At this point, it is important to remember that “epsilon” and “en” are positive numbers and are not equal to zero. Now it is possible to continue further transformations using the knowledge about inequalities gained in high school.

How does it turn out that n > -3 + 1/ε. Since it is worth remembering that we are talking about natural numbers, the result can be rounded by putting it in square brackets. Thus, it was proven that for any value of the “epsilon” neighborhood of the point a = 0, a value was found such that the initial inequality is satisfied. From here we can safely say that the number a is the limit of a given sequence. Q.E.D.

This convenient method can be used to prove the limit of a numerical sequence, no matter how complex it may be at first glance. The main thing is not to panic when you see the task.

Or maybe he's not there?

The existence of a consistency limit is not necessary in practice. You can easily come across series of numbers that really have no end. For example, the same “flashing light” x n = (-1) n. it is obvious that a sequence consisting of only two digits, repeated cyclically, cannot have a limit.

The same story repeats with sequences consisting of one number, fractional ones, having uncertainty of any order during calculations (0/0, ∞/∞, ∞/0, etc.). However, it should be remembered that incorrect calculations also occur. Sometimes double-checking your own solution will help you find the sequence limit.

Monotonic sequence

Several examples of sequences and methods for solving them were discussed above, and now let’s try to take a more specific case and call it a “monotonic sequence.”

Definition: any sequence can rightly be called monotonically increasing if the strict inequality x n holds for it< x n +1. Также любую последовательность справедливо называть монотонной убывающей, если для неё выполняется неравенство x n >x n +1.

Along with these two conditions, there are also similar non-strict inequalities. Accordingly, x n ≤ x n +1 (non-decreasing sequence) and x n ≥ x n +1 (non-increasing sequence).

But it’s easier to understand this with examples.

The sequence given by the formula x n = 2+n forms the following series of numbers: 4, 5, 6, etc. This is a monotonically increasing sequence.

And if we take x n =1/n, we get the series: 1/3, ¼, 1/5, etc. This is a monotonically decreasing sequence.

Limit of a convergent and bounded sequence

A bounded sequence is a sequence that has a limit. A convergent sequence is a series of numbers that has an infinitesimal limit.

Thus, the limit of a bounded sequence is any real or complex number. Remember that there can only be one limit.

The limit of a convergent sequence is an infinitesimal (real or complex) quantity. If you draw a sequence diagram, then at a certain point it will seem to converge, tend to turn into a certain value. Hence the name - convergent sequence.

Limit of a monotonic sequence

There may or may not be a limit to such a sequence. First, it is useful to understand when it exists; from here you can start when proving the absence of a limit.

Among monotonic sequences, convergent and divergent are distinguished. Convergent is a sequence that is formed by the set x and has a real or complex limit in this set. Divergent is a sequence that has no limit in its set (neither real nor complex).

Moreover, the sequence converges if, in a geometric representation, its upper and lower limits converge.

The limit of a convergent sequence can be zero in many cases, since any infinitesimal sequence has a known limit (zero).

Whatever convergent sequence you take, they are all bounded, but not all bounded sequences converge.

The sum, difference, product of two convergent sequences is also a convergent sequence. However, the quotient can also be convergent if it is defined!

Various actions with limits

Sequence limits are as significant (in most cases) as digits and numbers: 1, 2, 15, 24, 362, etc. It turns out that some operations can be performed with limits.

First, like digits and numbers, the limits of any sequence can be added and subtracted. Based on the third theorem on the limits of sequences, the following equality holds: the limit of the sum of sequences is equal to the sum of their limits.

Secondly, based on the fourth theorem on the limits of sequences, the following equality is true: the limit of the product of the nth number of sequences is equal to the product of their limits. The same is true for division: the limit of the quotient of two sequences is equal to the quotient of their limits, provided that the limit is not zero. After all, if the limit of sequences is equal to zero, then division by zero will result, which is impossible.

Properties of sequence quantities

It would seem that the limit of the numerical sequence has already been discussed in some detail, but phrases such as “infinitely small” and “infinitely large” numbers are mentioned more than once. Obviously, if there is a sequence 1/x, where x→∞, then such a fraction is infinitesimal, and if the same sequence, but the limit tends to zero (x→0), then the fraction becomes an infinitely large value. And such quantities have their own characteristics. The properties of the limit of a sequence having any small or large values ​​are as follows:

1. The sum of any number of any number of small quantities will also be a small quantity.
2. The sum of any number of large quantities will be an infinitely large quantity.
3. The product of arbitrarily small quantities is infinitesimal.
4. The product of any number of large numbers is infinitely large.
5. If the original sequence tends to an infinitely large number, then its inverse will be infinitesimal and tend to zero.

In fact, calculating the limit of a sequence is not such a difficult task if you know a simple algorithm. But the limits of consistency are a topic that requires maximum attention and perseverance. Of course, it is enough to simply grasp the essence of the solution to such expressions. Starting small, you can achieve great heights over time.