1.1.
1.1.1 Limits calculation for sequences
Here, we present some useful theorems to calculate the limit of a sequence as n → ∞.
Theorem 3 Let (an )n∈N and (bn )n∈N be two convergent sequences such that
lim an = a ∈ R, lim bn = b ∈ R.
n→∞ n→∞
Then, the following properties hold.
• lim (an ± bn ) = lim an ± lim bn = a ± b .
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
• lim (an bn ) = lim an lim bn = a b .
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
an lim an a
n→∞
• If b 6= 0 : lim = = .
n→∞ bn lim bn b
n→∞
lim bn
• If a 6= 0 or b 6= 0: lim (an )bn = lim an n→∞ = ab .
n→∞ n→∞
• If an > 0 for all n ∈ N and a > 0 : lim ln(an ) = ln lim an = ln(a) .
n→∞ n→∞
In the case of divergent sequences with limit equal to ±∞ (or in cases different from
those considered in Theorem 3), the limits calculation is performed according to the
next result.
Theorem 4 The following properties hold.
an
• If (an )n∈N is bounded and lim bn = ±∞ : lim = 0 ; lim (an + bn ) = ±∞
n→∞ n→∞ bn n→∞
and lim (an − bn ) = ∓∞.
n→∞
• If (an )n∈N is bounded and lim bn = 0 : lim (an bn ) = 0.
n→∞ n→∞
• If lim an = a ∈ R and lim bn = ±∞ : lim (an bn ) = ±∞ if a > 0 and
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
lim (an bn ) = ∓∞ if a < 0 .
n→∞
• If lim an = ±∞ and lim bn = ±∞ : lim (an + bn ) = ±∞ .
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
• If lim an = +∞ and lim bn = ±∞ : lim (an bn ) = ±∞ .
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
6
• If lim an = −∞ and lim bn = ±∞ : lim (an bn ) = ∓∞ .
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
an
• If lim an = a ∈ R and lim bn = 0, with bn > 0 for all n ∈ N : lim = +∞
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞ bn
an
if a > 0 and lim = −∞ if a < 0 .
n→∞ bn
an
• If lim an = 0, with an > 0 for all n ∈ N, and lim bn = ±∞ : lim =0
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞ bn
bn
and lim = ±∞ .
n→∞ an
• If lim an = +∞ and lim bn = b : lim abnn = +∞ if b > 0 and lim abnn = 0
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
if b < 0 ; lim bann = +∞ if b > 1 and lim bann = 0 if 0 < b < 1 .
n→∞ n→∞
However, we cannot directly assign a value to those limits leading to any of the
following indeterminate forms:
0 ±∞
+∞ − ∞ , 0 (±∞) , , , 00 , (±∞)0 , 1(±∞) .
0 ±∞
Note that the last one appears whenever we have a limit like
lim abnn
n→∞
with limn→∞ an = 1 and limn→∞ bn = ±∞ . In all these cases, one should rearrange
the involved expressions or use known theorems in order to get some conclusion.
