Factorial-tail irrationality proof for a hyperbolic cosine
ID: factorial-tail-irrationality-proof-for-a-hyperbolic-cosine
For a fixed positive integer , is irrational. If it were rational with denominator , choose large enough that . After multiplication by , the finite partial sum is an integer and the remaining positive tail is bounded by a geometric series whose ratio is at most . For sufficiently large , this tail is strictly between zero and one, contradicting its integer value. Only a finite integer partial sum is used; convergence of an infinite series of rationals does not itself prove irrationality.
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