# All Questions

696 views

### Prove $\sum_{i=0}^n\binom{i+k-1}{k-1}=\binom{n+k}{k}$ (a.k.a. Hockey-Stick Identity) [duplicate]

Let $n$ be a nonnegative integer, and $k$ a positive integer. Could someone explain to me why the identity $$\sum_{i=0}^n\binom{i+k-1}{k-1}=\binom{n+k}{k}$$ holds?
2k views

### Universal Chord Theorem

Let $f \in C[0,1]$ and $f(0)=f(1)$. How do we prove $\exists a \in [0,1/2]$ such that $f(a)=f(a+1/2)$? In fact, for every positive integer $n$, there is some $a$, such that $f(a) = f(a+\frac{1}{n})$...
3k views

972 views

### Given $y_n=(1+\frac{1}{n})^{n+1}$ show that $\lbrace y_n \rbrace$ is a decreasing sequence

Given $$y_n=\left(1+\frac{1}{n}\right)^{n+1}\hspace{-6mm},\qquad n \in \mathbb{N}, \quad n \geq 1.$$ Show that $\lbrace y_n \rbrace$ is a decreasing sequence. Anyone can help ? I consider the ...
21k views

### Discontinuous derivative.

Could someone give an example of a ‘very’ discontinuous derivative? I myself can only come up with examples where the derivative is discontinuous at only one point. I am assuming the function is real-...
25k views

### Why is negative times negative = positive?

Someone recently asked me why a negative $\times$ a negative is positive, and why a negative $\times$ a positive is negative, etc. I went ahead and gave them a proof by contradiction like so: Assume ...
4k views

### Comparing $\pi^{e}$ and $e^{\pi}$

How can I calculate without calculator or something like this the values of $\pi^{e}$ and $e^{\pi}$ in order to compare them ?
41k views

### How to prove Euler's formula: $e^{it}=\cos t +i\sin t$?

Could you provide a proof of Euler's formula: $e^{it}=\cos t +i\sin t$ ? thanks.
4k views

### Overview of basic facts about Cauchy functional equation

The Cauchy functional equation asks about functions $f \colon \mathbb R \to \mathbb R$ such that $$f(x+y)=f(x)+f(y).$$ It is a very well-known functional equation, which appears in various areas of ...
6k views

### $x^y = y^x$ for integers $x$ and $y$

We know that $2^4 = 4^2$ and $(-2)^{-4} = (-4)^{-2}$. Is there another pair of integers $x, y$ ($x\neq y$) which satisfies the equality $x^y = y^x$?
15k views

### Show that the set of all finite subsets of $\mathbb{N}$ is countable.

Show that the set of all finite subsets of $\mathbb{N}$ is countable. I'm not sure how to do this problem. I keep trying to think of an explicit formula for 1-1 correspondence like adding all the ...
21k views

### Why can ALL quadratic equations be solved by the quadratic formula?

In algebra, all quadratic problems can be solved by using the quadratic formula. I read a couple of books, and they told me only HOW and WHEN to use this formula, but they don't tell me WHY I can use ...
2k views

### Evaluating $\int P(\sin x, \cos x) \text{d}x$

Suppose $\displaystyle P(x,y)$ a polynomial in the variables $x,y$. For example, $\displaystyle x^4$ or $\displaystyle x^3y^2 + 3xy + 1$. Is there a general method which allows us to evaluate the ...
3k views

### The limit of truncated sums of harmonic series, $\lim\limits_{k\to\infty}\sum_{n=k+1}^{2k}{\frac{1}{n}}$

Is it the case that $$\lim\limits_{k\to\infty}\sum\limits_{n=k+1}^{2k}{\frac{1}{n}} = 0$$ That is, does the "second half" of the harmonic series go to zero?
57k views

### What's an intuitive way to think about the determinant?

In my linear algebra class, we just talked about determinants. So far I’ve been understanding the material okay, but now I’m very confused. I get that when the determinant is zero, the matrix doesn’t ...
22k views

### Examples of apparent patterns that eventually fail

Often, when I try to describe mathematics to the layman, I find myself struggling to convince them of the importance and consequence of 'proof'. I receive responses like: "surely if the Collatz ...
7k views

### How discontinuous can a derivative be?

There is a well-known result in elementary analysis due to Darboux which says if $f$ is a differentiable function then $f'$ satisfies the intermediate value property. To my knowledge, not many "...
8k views

### Construction of a Borel set with positive but not full measure in each interval

I was wondering how one can construct a Borel set that doesn't have full measure on any interval of the real line but does have positive measure everywhere. To be precise, if $\mu$ denotes Lebesgue ...
4k views

### Why does the series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac1n$ not converge?

Can someone give a simple explanation as to why the harmonic series $$\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac1n=\frac 1 1 + \frac 12 + \frac 13 + \cdots$$ doesn't converge, on the other hand it grows very ...
7k views

### Prove $0! = 1$ from first principles

How can I prove from first principles that $0!$ is equal to $1$?
2k views

4k views

### Identity for convolution of central binomial coefficients

It's not difficult to show that $$(1-z^2)^{-1/2}=\sum_{n=0}^\infty \binom{2n}{n}2^{-2n}z^{2n}$$ On the other hand, we have $(1-z^2)^{-1}=\sum z^{2n}$. Squaring the first power series and comparing ...
4k views

### Sine function dense in $[-1,1]$

We know that the sine function takes it values between $[-1,1]$. So is the set $$A = \{ \sin{n} \ : \ n \in \mathbb{N}\}$$ dense in $[-1,1]$. Generally, for showing the set is dense, one proceeds, by ...
1k views

1k views

### Conjugate subgroup strictly contained in the initial subgroup?

Probably a very stupid question: Let $G$ be a group, $H\subset G$ a subgroup, $a\in G$ an element. Is it possible that $aHa^{-1} \subset H$, but $aHa^{-1} \neq H$? If $H$ has finite index or finite ...
### $\lim\limits_{n \to{+}\infty}{\sqrt[n]{n!}}$ is infinite
How do I prove that $\displaystyle\lim_{n \to{+}\infty}{\sqrt[n]{n!}}$ is infinite?