Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/ia/paper-1/9f/iii/solution

Let denote the summand. Its denominator is positive for every : odd gives , while even gives . Dividing numerator and denominator by their highest powers gives
The terms are positive for sufficiently large , so the limit comparison test with the divergent harmonic series gives divergence to . More explicitly, for the numerator is at least and the denominator is at most , giving . Any finitely many early negative terms change partial sums by only a finite constant and cannot prevent divergence of this positive tail.

New to topics? Read the docs here!