Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford / 2017 / Prelims / Mathematics II / 2 / b / Solution

The tail $(a_n{)}_{n\ge 1}$ is a monotone sequence bounded below by zero. The bounded monotone sequence theorem therefore gives $a_n\to L\ge 0$. Taking the limit of a sequence in $a_n^2\ge c$ yields $L^2\ge c>0$, so $L>0$. The reciprocal rule from part (a) permits passage to the limit of a sequence in the recurrence relation:Multiplication by $2L$ givesThis proves existence of the positive square root without assuming that existence when constructing the sequence.