Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/iii/paper-61/6/c/solution

An explicit construction gives Bernstein's lethargy theorem in the requested inequality form. Set
Strict decrease makes every coefficient positive. Telescoping and the limit assumption give
Thus
defines a continuous function by the Weierstrass M-test and the uniform limit theorem. Apply the positive lacunary Chebyshev series calculation. At ,
For , choose so that . Its error is
Therefore the function satisfies
This explicit Chebyshev construction for Bernstein lethargy also has . It shows that continuity imposes no universal speed of convergence of best polynomial approximation, even though convergence itself follows from the Weierstrass approximation theorem.

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