Cauchy's convergence test

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Not to be confused with Cauchy condensation test.
The Cauchy convergence test is a method used to test infinite series for convergence. It relies on
bounding sums of terms in the series. This convergence criterion is named after Augustin-Louis
Cauchy who published it in his textbook Cours d'Analyse 1821.[1]

Contents
[hide]

 1Statement
 2Explanation
 3Proof
 4References

Statement[edit]
A series

is convergent if and only if for every there is a natural number N such that

holds for all n > N and p ≥ 1.[2]

Explanation[edit]

(a) The plot of a Cauchy sequence shown in blue, as versus If the space
containing the sequence is complete, the "ultimate destination" of this sequence (that is, the limit)
exists.
 (b) A sequence that is not Cauchy. The elements of the sequence fail to get arbitrarily close to
each other as the sequence progresses.

The test works because the space R of real numbers and the space C of complex numbers
(with the metric given by the absolute value) are both complete. Then the series
is convergent if and only if the partial sum

is a Cauchy sequence.

A sequence of real or complex numbers is a Cauchy sequence if and only

if converges (to some point a in R or C).[3] The formal definition states that for

every there is a number N, such that for all n, m > N holds

We will assume m > n and thus set p = m − n.

Showing that a sequence is a Cauchy sequence is useful since we do not need to

know the limit of the sequence in question. Cauchy's convergence test can only be
used in complete metric spaces (such as R and C), which are spaces where all
Cauchy sequences converge. We need only show that its elements become
arbitrarily close to each other after a finite progression in the sequence. There are
computer applications of the Cauchy sequence, in which an iterative process may
be set up to create such sequences.

Proof[edit]
We can use the results about convergence of the sequence of partial sums of the
infinite series and apply them to the convergence of the infinite series itself. The

Cauchy Criterion test is one such application. For any real sequence , the
above results on convergence imply that the infinite series

converges if and only if for every there is a number N, such that

m ≥ n ≥ N imply

.[4]
Probably the most interesting part of [this theorem] is that the Cauchy
condition implies the existence of the limit: this is indeed related to the
completeness of the real line.
Sanwich Theorem

The squeeze (or sandwich) theorem states that if f(x)≤g(x)≤h(x) for all numbers,
and at some point x=k we have f(k)=h(k), then g(k) must also be equal to them.
We can use the theorem to find tricky limits like sin(x)/x at x=0, by "squeezing"
sin(x)/x between two nicer functions and using them to find the limit at x=0.