Trivial Zeros of the Reciporical Factorial

David E. England
June 6, 2011
The essence of that which is wished to be shown is given by
Theorem 1
0=

1
1
1
=
=
=
(1)!
(2)!
(3)!

(1)

First consider the following recurrence:

G(s 1) = sG(s),

(2)

with G(0) bounded, i.e., a number (perhaps complex). Thus,

G(1) = 0 G(0) = 0
G(2) = 1 G(1) = 1 0 = 0
G(3) = 2 G(2) = 0
Thus, by induction
G(n) = 0, n N.

(3)

For s 6= 0, (2) can be rewritten as

1
G(s) = G(s 1).
s
Hence,
1
G(1) = G(0)
1
1
G(2) =
G(0)
21
1
G(3) =
G(0).
321

(4)

Therefore, general induction gives

G(s) =

1
G(0).
s!

(5)

Letting (s) = 1/s!, it is easy to show that the following recurrence:

s(s) = (s 1), (0) = 1.

(6)

is satisfied, because G(s) = (s)G(0). Futhermore,

(n) = 0, n N
QED.

(7)