Lecture

Real Number Sequences: Cauchy Sequences

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Description

This lecture continues the discussion on real number sequences by introducing the important concept of Cauchy sequences, which allows controlling the existence of a limit without knowing its value. Cauchy sequences help model and understand real numbers as equivalence classes of Cauchy sequences of rational numbers. This modeling is crucial practically, as it explains why real numbers can often be approximated by rationals in scientific calculations. The lecture also covers sub-sequences, the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem for bounded sequences, and provides an initial overview of numerical series with parameters, which will be further explored in the course as functions defined by power series. Some questions, such as the convergence of certain numerical series, will be addressed later in the course, particularly in relation to integration methods.

In MOOCs (2)

Analysis I (part 3) : Real number sequences I and II

A sequence of real numbers is a function f:N→R . It is usual to write an:=f(n) for the value of f in n. For example, we could define a sequence f(n):=an:=12n, i.e. a0=1,a1=12,a2=14,a3=18,.... . The central concept is that of the limit of a sequence: this is a real number to which, intuitively, the given sequence gets closer and closer. For example, the sequence an given above admits the number zero as its limit. We'll define the concept of limit in a rigorous way and develop methods for establishing the exi

Analysis I

This course covers : Part 1: Prelude, basic concepts, real numbers. Part 2: Introduction to complex numbers. Part 3: Real number sequences I and II. Part 4: Limit of a function, continuous functions. Part 5: Continuous functions and derivable functions, the derivative function. Part 6: Studies of functions, limited developments. Part 7: Indefinite and definite integrals, integration (selected chapters).

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Related concepts (15)

Real number

In mathematics, a real number is a number that can be used to measure a continuous one-dimensional quantity such as a distance, duration or temperature. Here, continuous means that pairs of values can have arbitrarily small differences. Every real number can be almost uniquely represented by an infinite decimal expansion. The real numbers are fundamental in calculus (and more generally in all mathematics), in particular by their role in the classical definitions of limits, continuity and derivatives.

Construction of the real numbers

In mathematics, there are several equivalent ways of defining the real numbers. One of them is that they form a complete ordered field that does not contain any smaller complete ordered field. Such a definition does not prove that such a complete ordered field exists, and the existence proof consists of constructing a mathematical structure that satisfies the definition. The article presents several such constructions. They are equivalent in the sense that, given the result of any two such constructions, there is a unique isomorphism of ordered field between them.

Definable real number

Informally, a definable real number is a real number that can be uniquely specified by its description. The description may be expressed as a construction or as a formula of a formal language. For example, the positive square root of 2, , can be defined as the unique positive solution to the equation , and it can be constructed with a compass and straightedge. Different choices of a formal language or its interpretation give rise to different notions of definability.

Cauchy sequence

In mathematics, a Cauchy sequence, named after Augustin-Louis Cauchy, is a sequence whose elements become arbitrarily close to each other as the sequence progresses. More precisely, given any small positive distance, all but a finite number of elements of the sequence are less than that given distance from each other. It is not sufficient for each term to become arbitrarily close to the term. For instance, in the sequence of square roots of natural numbers: the consecutive terms become arbitrarily close to each other – their differences tend to zero as the index n grows.

Extended real number line

In mathematics, the affinely extended real number system is obtained from the real number system by adding two infinity elements: and where the infinities are treated as actual numbers. It is useful in describing the algebra on infinities and the various limiting behaviors in calculus and mathematical analysis, especially in the theory of measure and integration. The affinely extended real number system is denoted or or It is the Dedekind–MacNeille completion of the real numbers.

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