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Exercise 2079Calculus › Single-variable calculus › SequencesL2Added 2 Nov 2026

The logistic sequence decays like 1/n

#Cesaro lemma#asymptotic equivalent#recurrence

Statement

Let u0∈(0,1)u_0\in(0,1) and un+1=un(1−un)u_{n+1}=u_n(1-u_n). Show that un→0u_n\to0 and that n un→1n\,u_n\to1.

Hint

Look at 1un+1−1un\dfrac1{u_{n+1}}-\dfrac1{u_n} and apply the Cesàro lemma to it.

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Solution

Step 1: convergence to 00. If un∈(0,1)u_n\in(0,1), then un+1=un(1−un)∈(0,1)u_{n+1}=u_n(1-u_n)\in(0,1), so all terms lie in (0,1)(0,1). Also un+1−un=−un2<0u_{n+1}-u_n=-u_n^2<0: the sequence is decreasing and bounded below, hence converges to some L≥0L\ge0 with L=L(1−L)L=L(1-L), so L=0L=0.

Step 2: a clever quantity.
1un+1−1un=un−un+1unun+1=un2un⋅un(1−un)=11−un⟶1.\frac1{u_{n+1}}-\frac1{u_n}=\frac{u_n-u_{n+1}}{u_nu_{n+1}}=\frac{u_n^2}{u_n\cdot u_n(1-u_n)}=\frac1{1-u_n}\longrightarrow1.

Step 3: Cesàro. By the Cesàro lemma (part 2), since the differences of wn=1unw_n=\frac1{u_n} tend to 11, wnn→1\frac{w_n}n\to1, i.e. 1nun→1\frac1{nu_n}\to1.

Conclusion. nun→1nu_n\to1, i.e. un∼1nu_n\sim\frac1n.

Numerics. For u0=12u_0=\frac12: nun=0.69nu_n=0.69 at n=10n=10, 0.940.94 at n=100n=100, 0.9910.991 at n=1000n=1000, 0.99990.9999 at n=105n=10^5.

Remark. The convergence to 00 is slow (like 1n\frac1n) because f(x)=x(1−x)f(x)=x(1-x) has f′(0)=1f'(0)=1: this is the borderline case of the speed-of-convergence classification.