Summation (Again!!!)

To read my previous note on this click here

What does $1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + ...$ equal?

We need to work with other identities first.

Let $S_1 = 1 - 1 + 1 - 1 + ...$ ;

and $S_2 = 1 - 2 + 3 - 4 + ...$ .

First we solve $S_1$ .

$S_1 = 1 - 1 + 1 - ...$

$1 - S_1 = 1 - (1 - 1 + 1 - ...)$

$1 - S_1 = 1 - 1 + 1 - ...$

$1 - S_1 = S_1$

$S_1 = \frac {1}{2}$

Now we solve $S_2$ .

$S_2 = 1 - 2 + 3 - 4 + ...$

$2S_2 = (1 - 2 + 3 - 4 + ...) + (1 - 2 + 3 - 4 + ...)$

By shifting the addend one value to the right you get

$2S_2 = 1 - 1 + 1 - 1 + ...$

By using our previous value, we get

$2S_2 =\frac {1}{2}$

$S_2 = \frac {1}{4}$

Finally, we solve $S$

$S = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ...$

$S - S_2 = (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ...) - (1 - 2 + 3 - 4 + ...)$

$S - S_2 = 4 + 8 + 12 + ...$

$S - S_2 = 4 (1 + 2 + 3 + ...)$

$S - \frac {1}{4} = 4S$

$S = -\frac {1}{12}$

Ta da!!!

#Summation #NumberFallacy

Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

Markdown	Appears as
`italics` or `_italics_`	italics
`bold` or `__bold__`	bold
- bulleted - list	bulleted list
1. numbered 2. list	numbered list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1 paragraph 2	paragraph 1 paragraph 2
`[example link](https://brilliant.org)`	example link
`> This is a quote`	This is a quote
# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"	# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `$` ... `$` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$

Comments

Sort by:

Top Newest

Weird...I posted a discussion on these exact sums...

Bogdan Simeonov - 7 years, 5 months ago

when, because I want to read it.

Sharky Kesa - 7 years, 5 months ago

Numberphile!!!!

Kartik Sharma - 7 years, 2 months ago

No, Wikipedia.

Sharky Kesa - 7 years, 2 months ago

oh!

I learnt it from that...

Kartik Sharma - 7 years, 2 months ago

This is a famous result that $\zeta (-1) = -\dfrac{1}{12}$ . (Saw this in Number Phile :P).

Surya Prakash - 5 years, 7 months ago

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$