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Exercise 1394Calculus › Single-variable calculus › Series › Convergence testsL1Added 6 Nov 2026

Six numeric series: convergence study

#ratio test#root test#comparison#absolute convergence

Statement

Study the nature of the following numeric series:

  1. ∑n≥1n!nn\displaystyle\sum_{n\ge1}\frac{n!}{n^n};
  2. ∑n≥1n!an\displaystyle\sum_{n\ge1}\frac{n!}{a^n} with a>0a>0;
  3. ∑n≥12nn+2n\displaystyle\sum_{n\ge1}\frac{2n}{n+2^n};
  4. ∑n≥21nln⁡n (ln⁡ln⁡n)β\displaystyle\sum_{n\ge2}\frac{1}{n\ln n\,(\ln\ln n)^\beta}, β∈R\beta\in\mathbb{R};
  5. ∑n≥1nln⁡n(ln⁡n)n\displaystyle\sum_{n\ge1}\frac{n^{\ln n}}{(\ln n)^n};
  6. ∑n≥1cos⁡2nn\displaystyle\sum_{n\ge1}\frac{\cos^2 n}{\sqrt n}.
Hint
  1. Ratio test. 2. Ratio test, discuss aa. 3. Compare with 2−n2^{-n}. 4. Bertrand series with substitution. 5. Rewrite nln⁡n=e(ln⁡n)2n^{\ln n}=e^{(\ln n)^2} and (ln⁡n)n=enln⁡ln⁡n(\ln n)^n=e^{n\ln\ln n}, compare to 1/n21/n^2. 6. Use cos⁡2n≥0\cos^2 n\ge0 and comparison with harmonic.
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Solution

(1) ∑n!nn\sum\frac{n!}{n^n}. Ratio:
un+1un=(n+1)!(n+1)n+1⋅nnn!=(nn+1)n=(1+1n)−n→1e<1.\frac{u_{n+1}}{u_n}=\frac{(n+1)!}{(n+1)^{n+1}}\cdot\frac{n^n}{n!}=\left(\frac{n}{n+1}\right)^n=\left(1+\frac1n\right)^{-n}\to\frac1e<1.
By d'Alembert, the series converges.

(2) ∑n!an\sum\frac{n!}{a^n}, a>0a>0. Ratio:
un+1un=(n+1)!an+1⋅ann!=n+1a→+∞.\frac{u_{n+1}}{u_n}=\frac{(n+1)!}{a^{n+1}}\cdot\frac{a^n}{n!}=\frac{n+1}{a}\to+\infty.
For every fixed a>0a>0, the ratio eventually exceeds 11, so un↛0u_n\not\to0: the series diverges.

(3) ∑2nn+2n\sum\frac{2n}{n+2^n}. For n≥1n\ge1,
0≤2nn+2n≤2n2n=2n⋅2−n.0\le\frac{2n}{n+2^n}\le\frac{2n}{2^n}=2n\cdot2^{-n}.
The series ∑2n⋅2−n\sum 2n\cdot2^{-n} converges (ratio test: (n+1)/2n→1/2<1(n+1)/2n\to1/2<1). By comparison, the series converges.

(4) ∑1nln⁡n(ln⁡ln⁡n)β\sum\frac{1}{n\ln n(\ln\ln n)^\beta}. Use the substitution u=ln⁡ln⁡tu=\ln\ln t; the integral ∫dttln⁡t(ln⁡ln⁡t)β=∫duuβ\int\frac{dt}{t\ln t(\ln\ln t)^\beta}=\int\frac{du}{u^\beta} converges iff β>1\beta>1. Hence the series converges if β>1\beta>1 and diverges if β≤1\beta\le1.

(5) ∑nln⁡n(ln⁡n)n\sum\frac{n^{\ln n}}{(\ln n)^n}. Write
nln⁡n=exp⁡((ln⁡n)2),(ln⁡n)n=exp⁡(nln⁡ln⁡n),n^{\ln n}=\exp((\ln n)^2),\qquad (\ln n)^n=\exp(n\ln\ln n),
so
un=exp⁡((ln⁡n)2−nln⁡ln⁡n).u_n=\exp\bigl((\ln n)^2-n\ln\ln n\bigr).
Since nln⁡ln⁡nn\ln\ln n dominates (ln⁡n)2(\ln n)^2, one has un=o(n−2)u_n=o(n^{-2}). By comparison with ∑n−2\sum n^{-2}, the series converges.

(6) ∑cos⁡2nn\sum\frac{\cos^2 n}{\sqrt n}. Since cos⁡2n≥0\cos^2 n\ge0 and cos⁡2n≥12\cos^2 n\ge\frac12 along a positive density of integers (e.g. n≡0(mod2π)n\equiv0\pmod{2\pi} approximation), one gets cos⁡2nn↛0\frac{\cos^2 n}{\sqrt n}\not\to0 fast enough. More directly: cos⁡2n=1+cos⁡2n2\cos^2 n=\frac{1+\cos 2n}{2}, so
cos⁡2nn=12n+cos⁡2n2n.\frac{\cos^2 n}{\sqrt n}=\frac{1}{2\sqrt n}+\frac{\cos 2n}{2\sqrt n}.
The first term gives a divergent series (∑n−1/2\sum n^{-1/2}), while the second converges by Dirichlet's test. Hence the series diverges (to +∞+\infty).