Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ia Paper 1 3F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 4 5E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
A real sequence has limit of a sequence whenA series is a convergent series with sum when its partial sums have limit of a sequence .
For the first comparison test for series, either of the two allowed bounds implies . HenceThe partial sums form a monotone bounded sequence, so they converge. The series is convergent.
For the exponent , use for . The resulting telescoping series bounds every partial sum by , proving that the series converges by the monotone bounded sequence property. To prove divergence of the harmonic series, group the terms with : their sum is at least . Thus its partial sums are unbounded. If , then , so the comparison test for series proves
For the weighted square assumption, the finite-dimensional Cauchy-Schwarz inequality gives, for every ,Again the positive partial sums form a monotone bounded sequence. This is the weighted square roots of a summable sequence argument, with . The weighted square condition implies .
The converse is false. Take . Each block contributes at most , and the resulting geometric series converges. But , whose harmonic series diverges. This proves the counterexample without assuming the full P-series criterion.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ia Paper 1 3F c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Another application of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality givesWhen , the second factor is bounded because , so the series converges.
At the endpoint, take and, for ,Then converges, whilewhose series diverges. This proves both parts of weighted square roots of a summable sequence.