Lebl-Basic-Analysis-I · Problem 1.2.1

Real Numbers

Mathematics · archimedean-property

Problem

Prove that if t>0t > 0 (t∈Rt \in \mathbb{R}), then there exists an n∈Nn \in \mathbb{N} such that 1n2<t\dfrac{1}{n^2} < t.
Intuitive explanation

The core idea here is the Archimedean property of the real numbers: no matter how small a positive number is, you can always find a natural number large enough to make its reciprocal smaller still. Since 1n2\frac{1}{n^2} shrinks as nn grows, you just need to find an nn where n2n^2 is large enough that 1n2\frac{1}{n^2} dips below your given threshold tt. This is really about showing that the natural numbers are unbounded.

Intuitive explanation

The core idea here is the Archimedean property of the real numbers: no matter how small a positive number is, you can always find a natural number large enough to make its reciprocal smaller still. Since 1n2\frac{1}{n^2} shrinks as nn grows, you just need to find an nn where n2n^2 is large enough that 1n2\frac{1}{n^2} dips below your given threshold tt. This is really about showing that the natural numbers are unbounded.

Related theory

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