Lecture - 11 (31)

Subsequences :

( x n ) = ( x1 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . ) ( xn k )
Definition : A subsequence of a sequence is a sequence

( xn )
whose terms are chosen from in a strictly increasing order

( x n k ) :  ( xn 1 , xn 2 , . . . , xn k , . . . ) n1  n2  n3  . . .  n k  . . .
i.e; , where be a

xn k ( xn )
strictly increasing sequence of natural numbers and each is a term of the sequence .

 So a subsequence is a sub collection of elements of the sequence in same order.

Examples

( x n ) = ( x1 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . )
 If is any arbitrary sequence of real numbers, then

( x 2 , x 3 , x 7 , x10 , . . . ) ( xn )
(1) is a subsequence of because

n1  2 , n2  3 , n3  7 , n 4 10 , . . . n1  n2  n3  n 4  . . .
here and .

(x )
(2) m -tail of a sequence is a special type of a subsequence of n . But, clearly, not every

subsequence of a given sequence need be a tail of the sequence.

But

( x1 , x 3 , x 2 , x5 , . . . ) ( xn )
(3) is not a subsequence of because

n1 1 , n2  3 , n3  2 , n 4  5 , . . . n1 , n2 , n3 , n 4
here and are not in an increasing order .

( x1 , x 3 , x 3 , x5 , . . . ) ( xn )
(4) is not a subsequence of because

n1 1 , n2  3 , n3  3 , n 4  5 , . . . n1 , n2 , n3 , n 4
here and are not in strictly increasing order.

( x2 , 0 , x4 , 1 , . . . ) ( xn )
(5) is not subsequence of because
 ( xn )
here second term ‘0’ and fourth term ‘1’ does not belong to the sequence .

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Construction of a subsequence from a given sequence

( xn ) xn :   
Since for a sequence , . Define a strictly increasing function  :    .

xn   :   
Then the composition function

( xn ) xn    xnk
will define a subsequence of . That is .

Examples

1 1 1 1 
( xn ) =     , , , . . . .
(1) Consider n 1 2 3  , then the selection of even indexed term

 1  1 1 1 1 
( xn k ) =   , , , ..., , . . .
produces the subsequence  2n   2 4 6 2n  .

 1 
x n k  x n    x n   (n)   x n ( 2 n )   
Here  (n)  2 n and  2n 

1
( xn ) =  
 Other subsequences of  n  are the following :

1 1 1 1  1
 , , , ..., , . . .  
1 3 5 2 n 1  is a subsequence of  n  . Here
(2) The sequence 

 ( n)  2 n  1 .

 1 1 1 1  1
 , , , ..., , . . .  
1! 2! 3! k!  is a subsequence of  n  . Here
(3) The sequence 

 ( n)  n ! .
 1 1 1 1  1
 , , , ... , 2 , ...   
1 4 9 n  is a subsequence of  n  . Here
(4) The sequence 

 ( n)  n 2 .

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( xn )
Theorem - 11.1 : A sequence of real number converges to a real number x if and only if

( xn k ) ( xn )
EVERY subsequences of also converges to x .

(x )
Proof : (  ) Suppose n is convergent , then by definition for every  > 0 there exist

K ( ) xn - x < 
such that , for all n  K ( ) .

n1  n 2 < . . . < n k  . . .
Since is an increasing sequence of natural numbers, it is easily

nk  k n k  k  K ( ) xn - x < 
proved (by induction) that . Hence if , we also have .

( xn k )
Therefore the subsequence also converges to x .

(  ) Suppose every subsequence of ( x n ) converges to x . Then the sequence ( x n ) being the

subsequence of itself will also be converges to x .

Divergence Criteria :

( xn k ) ( xn ) ( xn )
Not every subsequences of converges to x implies not converges to x

Proof : It is just the contrapositive statement of the Theorem -11.1 .

( xn )
 So if a sequence of real numbers has either of the following properties :

( xn )
(i) has a divergent subsequence

( xn )
(ii) has two convergent subsequences whose limits are not equal.
 ( xn )
then will be a divergent sequence.

Examples

(1) The sequence

 x    (1) 
n
n
is divergent.

The subsequence
 x    (1)   ( 1 , 1 , 1 , . . . )
2n
2n
converges to 1 , and the subsequence

x 2n  1    (1) 2 n 1
  (  1 ,  1 ,  1 , . . . ) converges to 1 . Therefore  (1) 
n
is divergent.

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 1 1 
 yn   1 , , 3 , , ...
(2) The sequence  2 4  is divergent

The subsequence
y   n
2n
which is unbounded , so divergent and the subsequence

y   1 

 n  converges to 0 . As  yn  has a divergent subsequence ( y2 n ) , so it is divergent
2 n 1

( zn )  ( 1 , 3 , 5 , 1 , 3 , 5 , . . . )
(3) The sequence is divergent.

The subsequence ( 1 , 1 , 1 , . . . ) converges to 1 and the subsequence ( 3 , 3 , 3 , . . . )

(z )
converges to 3 . Also the subsequence ( 5 , 5 , 5 , . . . ) converges to 5 . Therefore n is
divergent .

(4) The sequence ( wn )  (Sin n ) is divergent .

( xn )
Monotone Subsequence Theorem : If is a sequence of real numbers, then there is a

( xn )
subsequence of that is monotone .

( xn )
The Bolzano-weierstrass Theorem : A bounded sequence in  has a convergent
subsequence .
 ( xn )
Proof : Suppose is a bounded sequence . Now by the Monotone Sequence Theorem that

( xn ) ( xn )
has a monotone subsequence . This subsequence is bounded as is bounded , so this

( xn )
subsequence is convergent by the Monotone Convergence Theorem . Hence has a
convergent subsequence .

Cluster Points
(x ) (x )
Definition : A real number x is a cluster point of a sequence n if the sequence n has a

subsequence converging to x .

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Theorem : A bounded sequence in  converges if and only if it has unique cluster point .

( xn )
Theorem : A sequence in  diverges if and only if it has more than one cluster points
or it is unbounded .

Examples

 n  1 1 1 1 1 
 Sin  ,1, , 0 , , 1 , , 0 , , 1 , . . .
 4   2 2 2 2 2 

(1) The sequence

1 1
0 , 1 , 1 , ,
2 2
diverges because it has five cluster points as there are five
different subsequences ( 0 , 0 , 0 , . . . )  0 , ( 1 , 1 , 1 , . . . )  1 , (  1 , 1 , 1 , . . . )  1

 1 1 1  1  1 1 1  1
 , , , ...   , , , ... 
 
 2 2 2  2
,  2 2 2  2

but it is bounded .
  1 1 1 1 
1 , 1 , 2 , , 3 , , 4 , , . . . , n , , . . . 
2 3 4 n
(2) The sequence   diverges although it has only
 1 1 
1 , , . . . , , . . .   0
2 n
one cluster point 0, because there is only one subsequence   but it is
unbounded .