Bounded Sequences

A sequence is considered bounded if there exists a real number M such that: $$ | a_n | \le M $$

Any sequence that has a finite limit is necessarily bounded.

Thus, all convergent sequences are bounded.

Note. There are also examples of bounded sequences that are not regular. For instance, the following sequence oscillates between -1 and +1. It neither converges nor diverges, yet it remains bounded. $$ a_n = ( -1 )^n $$

Proof

Suppose a sequence an converges to l:

$$ \lim_{ n \rightarrow \infty } a_n = l $$

Let’s choose ε equal to 1:

$$ \epsilon = 1 $$

By the definition of the limit, there exists a value v such that:

$$ |a_n - l| < 1 \quad \forall n > v $$

Adding |l| to both sides yields:

$$ |(a_n - l) + l| < 1 + |l| $$

Recognizing that an = |an + l - l|, we can write:

$$ |a_n| < 1 + |l| $$

Therefore, we can conclude that:

$$ |a_n| < M $$

where M is defined as the largest value among the absolute values of the terms of the sequence and 1 + |l|:

$$ M = \max \{ |a_1|, |a_2|, \dots , |a_n|, 1 + |l| \} $$

And so on.

 

 

 

 
 

Please feel free to point out any errors or typos, or share suggestions to improve these notes. English isn't my first language, so if you notice any mistakes, let me know, and I'll be sure to fix them.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinLinkedin
knowledge base

Sequences in Mathematics