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An infinite series of any rational function of can be reduced to a finite series of polygamma functions, by use of partial fraction decomposition, [8] as explained here. This fact can also be applied to finite series of rational functions, allowing the result to be computed in constant time even when the series contains a large number of terms.
Greek mathematician Archimedes produced the first known summation of an infinite series with a method that is still used in the area of calculus today. He used the method of exhaustion to calculate the area under the arc of a parabola with the summation of an infinite series, [5] and gave a remarkably accurate approximation of π. [80] [81]
A summation method that is linear and stable cannot sum the series 1 + 2 + 3 + ⋯ to any finite value. (Stable means that adding a term at the beginning of the series increases the sum by the value of the added term.) This can be seen as follows. If + + + =, then adding 0 to both sides gives
Using sigma summation notation the sum of the first m terms of the series can be expressed as = (). The infinite series diverges, meaning that its sequence of partial sums, (1, −1, 2, −2, 3, ...), does not tend towards any finite limit.
Today, a more standard phrasing of Archimedes' proposition is that the partial sums of the series 1 + 1 / 4 + 1 / 16 + ⋯ are: + + + + = +. This form can be proved by multiplying both sides by 1 − 1 / 4 and observing that all but the first and the last of the terms on the left-hand side of the equation cancel in pairs.
In mathematics, a series expansion is a technique that expresses a function as an infinite sum, or series, of simpler functions. It is a method for calculating a function that cannot be expressed by just elementary operators (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).
In mathematics, the harmonic series is the infinite series formed by summing all positive unit fractions: = = + + + + +. The first n {\displaystyle n} terms of the series sum to approximately ln n + γ {\displaystyle \ln n+\gamma } , where ln {\displaystyle \ln } is the natural logarithm and γ ≈ 0.577 {\displaystyle \gamma \approx 0.577 ...
The geometric series on the real line. In mathematics, the infinite series 1 / 2 + 1 / 4 + 1 / 8 + 1 / 16 + ··· is an elementary example of a geometric series that converges absolutely. The sum of the series is 1. In summation notation, this may be expressed as