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Nested Radicals: and Other Infinitely Recursive Expressions
Nested Radicals: and Other Infinitely Recursive Expressions
Michael MC Guffin
prepared
July 17, 1998
for
The Pure Math Club
University of Waterloo
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Derivation of Identities
3. General Forms
Series
1 1 1 1
e=1+ + + + + ...
1! 2! 3! 4!
Infinite Products
2 2 4 4 6
π/2 = × × × × × ···
1 3 3 5 5
Continued Fractions
2
e−1=1+ 3
2+ 4
3+ 5
4+
5+...
1
4/π = 1 +
2+ 32
2+ 52
2
2+ 7
2+...
Infinitely Nested Radicals (or Continued Roots)
r q p
K= 1+ 2+ 3 + ...
√ (√2)···
√ ( 2)
2 = ( 2)
Hybrid Forms
q p √
2 2···
4=2 2
1 1
= 1 1
2 1 1 +1+ 1 1
... +1+ ... ... +1+ ...
Questions:
• Does the expression converge ? Are there tests, or
necessary/sufficient conditions for convergence ? Ex-
amples:
– For series,
∗ Terms must go to zero
∗ d’Alembert-Cauchy Ratio Test, Cauchy nth Root
Test, Integral Test, ...
p
L= a + bL
L2 − bL − a = 0
q
b+ b2 + 4a
L=
2
Hence
q
b2 + 4a
r q p b+
a + b a + b a + ... =
2
Observation: when a = 0, we get
q
b2 + 4(0)
r q p b+
0 + b 0 + b 0 + ... =
2
s r
q √
b b b ... = b
s r rq
q √ √ √
q √
b b b ... = b b b...
1 1 1
= b b4 b8 . . .
2
1 + 1 + 1 +...
= b2 4 8
= b1
Similarly, assume that
b
a+ b
a+ b
a+ a+...
b
L=a+ b
a+ b
a+ a+...
b
L=a+
L
L2 − aL − b = 0
q
a+ a2 + 4b
L=
2
Hence
q
b a+ a2 + 4b
a+ b
=
a+ b
2
a+ a+...
Therefore,
q
b2 + 4a
r q p a b+
a + b a + b a + ... = b + =
b + b+ a a 2
b+...
Ln − bL − a = 0
1−β−α=0
β =1−α
yielding
s r
n
q
n
αLn + βLn−1 αLn + βLn−1 αLn + . . .
n
L=
2.2 Identity Transformations
v v
u u s
u r
u a u a a a
= t 2 b2 + b 4
+ b 8
+ b16 + . . .
t
b b 2 b 2 b 2
v v
u u v
u s
√
u
u2 u2 t2 2
u u u
t
1
+ t
2
+ 4
+ 8
+ ... = 2
2 2 2 2
And generalized to
s r q
k k+1 k+2 k+3
21−2 = 21−2 + 21−2 + 21−2 + ...
Letting k → −∞,
v s
u r
u q
1−2−1 1−20 1−2 1
t
2= ... + 2 + 2 + 2 + ...
Transformations for ”pushing” terms through radicals:
v s
u r
u q
a 0 + b0 a1 + b1 a2 + b2 a3 + . . .
t
v s
u r
u q
a1 b2 a2 b2 4 a3 b2 4 8
t
= a0 + 0+ 1 b0 + 2 b1 b0 + . . .
v s
u r
n
u
n
q
n n
a 0 + b0 a1 + b1 a2 + b 2 a3 + . . .
t
v v
u u s
u r
n n
u
n 2 2 n3
n
u
=
t
a0 +
t n n n n n
a 1 b0 + a2 b1 b0 + a3 b2 b1 b0 + . . .
2.3 Generation of Identities Using Recurrences
3
1 1×3 3 1×3×5 3
1−5 +9 − 13 + . . . = 2/π
2 2×4 2×4×6
s √ √
1 5+ 5 5 + 1 (2π/3)
= − e
1+ e−2π 2 2
−4π
1+ e −6π
1+e
1+...
1 1 1 πe
r
1+ + + ... + 1
=
1×3 1×3×5 1+ 2 2
1+ 3
1+
1+...
Problem:
s r q p
?= 1 + 2 1 + 3 1 + 4 1 + ...
Ramanujan claimed:
s r
√
q
x+n= n2 + x n2 + (x + n) n2 + (x + 2n) . . .
s r q p
3= 1 + 2 1 + 3 1 + 4 1 + ...
Notice
q q
[a + b] = b2 + a2 + 2ab = b2 + a[a + b + b]
q
[x + n] = n2 + x[x + n + n]
r q
= n2 + x n2 + (x + n)[x + 2n + n]
s r q
= n2 + x n2 + (x + n) n2 + (x + 2n)[x + 3n + n]
.
.
. s
r
√
q
= n2 + x n2 + (x + n) n2 + (x + 2n) . . .
Basic Idea:
• Find a ”telescoping” recurrence relation
• Use it to generate an infinitely recursive expression
• Hope that it converges (!)
Consider a more familiar recurrence relation
1 1 1
= +
k k(k + 1) k+1
1 1 1
= +
n n(n + 1) n+1
1 1 1
= + +
n(n + 1) (n + 1)(n + 2) n+2
.
.
.
1 1 1
= + + + ...
n(n + 1) (n + 1)(n + 2) (n + 2)(n + 3)
s r
q
2 1−2k = 2 1−2k+1 + 2 1−2k+2 + 2 1−2 k+3
+ ...
s
1+2 −2k+1 = 2 1−2k+1 + 1+2 −2k+2
s r
q
1+2 −2k+1 = 2 1−2k+1 + 2 1−2k+2 + 21−2
k+3
+ ...
How can two identities have the same right hand side but
different left hand sides ? Answer: in the second identity,
the infinite expansion is not valid.
Another example (this time of a valid expansion). The
recurrence
q
[n! + (n + 1)!] = n!2 + n! [(n + 1)! + (n + 2)!]
expands into
s r q
[n! + (n + 1)!] = n!2 + n! (n + 1)!2 + (n + 1)! (n + 2)!2 + . . .
a0 + a1 + a2 + a3 + . . .
Setting pj = 1 and aj = 0, we get an infinite product
b0 b1 b2 b3 . . .
Setting pj = −1, we get a continued fraction
b0
a0 + b1
a1 + b2
a2 + a +...
3
Setting pj = 1 and bj = 1/cj , we get an ascending con-
tinued fraction
a +...
a2 + 3c
a1 + 2
c1
a0 +
c0
Setting pj = 1/n, we get a nested radical
s r
n
q
n n
a0 + b 0 a1 + b1 a2 + b2 a3 + . . .
Setting pj = −1/n, we get a hybrid form
b0
a0 + v
ua1 + r
u b1
n b
n a2 + n√ 2
t
a3 +...
a +...
a2 +b2 p 3
a1 +b1 p1 2
a0 + b 0 0
p
L = (αL1/p+βL1/p−1(αL1/p+βL1/p−1(αL1/p+. . .)p)p)p
where β = 1 − α.
• Recurrences. Example:
s
2 1−2k = 2 1−2k+1 + 2 1−2k+1
becomes
pk −1
pk+1 −1
pk+1 −1
p
2 pk−1 −pk = 2 pk −pk+1 + 2 pk −pk+1
• Transformations. Example:
v s
u r
n
u
n
q
n n
a 0 + b0 a1 + b 1 a2 + b2 a3 + . . .
t
v v
u u s
u r
n n
u
n 2 2 n3
n
u
=
t
a0 +
t n n n n n
a 1 b0 + a2 b1 b0 + a3 b2 b1 b0 + . . .
becomes
(a0 + b0 (a1 + b1 (a2 + b2 (a3 + . . .)p )p )p )p
− − − − − −
1
= (a0 + (a1 bp0 + (a2 bp1 1 bp0 2
+ (a3 b2p 1 bp1 2 bp0 3
+ . . .)p )p )p )p
n
B) If Fn = 22 + 1 = the nth Fermat number, then
∞
1 1
Y
1− =
n=0 Fn 2
x ···
x xx
pn
converges if and only if {xn } is bounded.
r q √
lim x0 + x1 + ... + xk
k→∞
−n
converges if and only if {x2
n } is bounded.
”Souped-up” ratio test (due to Dixon Jones, 1988). When
xn > 0 and p > 1, the continued power
converges if
p
xn+1 (p − 1)p−1
≤
xn pp