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For a nonempty set $A\subseteq \mathbb{R}$, a supremum is a real number $s$ such that $a\le s$ for every $a\in A$, and every upper bound $u$ of $A$ satisfies $s\le u$. Equivalently, $s$ is an upper bound and, for every $\epsilon >0$, some $a\in A$ satisfies $a>s-\epsilon$. By completeness of the real numbers, it exists whenever $A$ is nonempty and bounded above.

An increasing monotone sequence satisfies $a_{n+1}\ge a_n$ for every $n$; a bounded sequence satisfies $|a_n|\le M$ for some finite $M$ and every $n$. Put $s=\sup \{a_n:n\ge 1\}$. Given $\epsilon >0$, the defining property of the supremum supplies $N$ with $a_N>s-\epsilon$. For every $n\ge N$, monotonicity givesThis is exactly the definition of convergent sequence, so the bounded monotone sequence theorem gives $\boxed{a_n\to s}$.

The sine fixed-point iteration converges to zero from every real starting value. After one step, $|x_n|\le 1$, and $|x_{n+1}|=\sin |x_n|$. Since $0<\sin t<t$ for $0<t\le 1$, the absolute values form a bounded monotone sequence. Its limit $a$ satisfies $a=\sin a$ by continuity, forcing $a=0$. This proves convergence even though the sine is not a contraction mapping on any interval containing zero in its interior.

A telescoping sum cancels intermediate sequence terms, leaving boundary terms. For a finite sequence of real numbers $a_0,\dots ,a_n$, the displayed identity follows because every $a_1,\dots ,a_{n-1}$ occurs once with each sign. Applying it to an infinite series also requires checking the limit of the boundary terms; finite cancellation alone does not prove that the series is a convergent series.^[ref]

For $n\ge 1$, expanding the finite sum givesNo monotone sequence assumption is required. Consider the original sequence $4,9,2,7,5$. Its successive finite differences are $5,-7,5,-2$, soThe large intermediate rise and fall disappear from the net change. This is useful whenever one knows successive changes rather than every absolute value: adding the changes reconstructs the final value from the initial one. It also checks a cumulative-update calculation without requiring all increments to be positive.

A finite difference $\Delta a_{k-1}=a_k-a_{k-1}$ measures one discrete change. The identity ${\sum }_{k=1}^n\Delta a_{k-1}=a_n-a_0$ is the discrete counterpart of the fundamental theorem of calculus: accumulation of changes returns the endpoint difference. The related summation by parts transfers a finite difference from one factor of a product to another, with explicit boundary terms.