Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2017/prelims/mathematics-ii/3/c/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2017 Prelims Mathematics II 3 c ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Split the power series into even and odd indices:whenever the two series converge absolutely. If , the even part is a convergent geometric series, while the odd part is bounded termwise in absolute value by , also a convergent geometric series. Hence there is absolute convergence throughout .
If , the odd terms have absolute values . Their successive ratio tends to , so these terms grow eventually and do not tend to zero. The term test for divergence therefore forces divergence of the original power series. Consequently its radius of convergence is
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