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Ch. 10 - Infinite Sequences and Series
Hass - Thomas' Calculus 15th Edition
Hass15th EditionThomas' CalculusISBN: 9780137616077Non è quello che usi tu?Cambia libro di testo
Capitolo 10, Problema 10.4.50

Determining Convergence or Divergence
Which of the series in Exercises 17–56 converge, and which diverge? Use any method, and give reasons for your answers.
∑ (from n=1 to ∞) (tanh n) / n²

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1
Identify the general term of the series: \(a_n = \frac{\tanh n}{n^2}\).
Recall that \(\tanh n\) is the hyperbolic tangent function, which approaches 1 as \(n\) becomes very large, so for large \(n\), \(\tanh n \approx 1\).
Compare the given series to the known convergent p-series \(\sum \frac{1}{n^2}\), which converges because \(p=2 > 1\).
Use the Limit Comparison Test by evaluating \(\lim_{n \to \infty} \frac{a_n}{1/n^2} = \lim_{n \to \infty} \tanh n = 1\), which is a finite nonzero number.
Since the limit is finite and nonzero and \(\sum \frac{1}{n^2}\) converges, conclude that the original series \(\sum \frac{\tanh n}{n^2}\) also converges.

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Infinite Series and Convergence

An infinite series is the sum of infinitely many terms. Determining whether such a series converges means checking if the sum approaches a finite limit as the number of terms grows indefinitely. Understanding convergence is essential to analyze the behavior of series like ∑ (tanh n) / n².
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Convergence of an Infinite Series

Comparison Test for Series

The Comparison Test helps determine convergence by comparing a given series to another series with known behavior. If the terms of the given series are smaller than those of a convergent series, it also converges. This test is useful when dealing with series involving functions like tanh n and polynomial denominators.
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Direct Comparison Test

Behavior of Hyperbolic Tangent Function (tanh n)

The hyperbolic tangent function, tanh n, approaches 1 as n becomes large. Knowing this limit helps simplify the series terms for large n, allowing us to approximate the series and apply convergence tests effectively, especially when combined with terms like 1/n².
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Slopes of Tangent Lines