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In mathematics, the harmonic series is the infinite series formed by summing all positive unit fractions: = = + + + + +.. The first terms of the series sum to approximately +, where is the natural logarithm and is the Euler–Mascheroni constant.
The harmonic numbers roughly approximate the natural logarithm function [2]: 143 and thus the associated harmonic series grows without limit, albeit slowly. In 1737, Leonhard Euler used the divergence of the harmonic series to provide a new proof of the infinity of prime numbers.
In the following, a sum or product taken over p always represents a sum or product taken over a specified set of primes. The proof rests upon the following four inequalities: Every positive integer i can be uniquely expressed as the product of a square-free integer and a square as a consequence of the fundamental theorem of arithmetic.
The harmonic numbers are a fundamental sequence in number theory and analysis, known for their logarithmic growth. This result leverages the fact that the sum of the inverses of integers (i.e., harmonic numbers) can be closely approximated by the natural logarithm function, plus a constant, especially when extended over large intervals.
Indeed, the sum of the absolute values of each term is + + + +, or the divergent harmonic series. According to the Riemann series theorem, any conditionally convergent series can be permuted so that its sum is any finite real number or so that it diverges. When an absolutely convergent series is rearranged, its sum is always preserved.
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.
for every ε > 0, and whether the corresponding series of the f(n) still diverges. Once such a sequence is found, a similar question can be asked with f(n) taking the role of 1/n, and so on. In this way it is possible to investigate the borderline between divergence and convergence of infinite series.
In mathematics, a harmonic progression (or harmonic sequence) is a progression formed by taking the reciprocals of an arithmetic progression, which is also known as an arithmetic sequence. Equivalently, a sequence is a harmonic progression when each term is the harmonic mean of the neighboring terms.