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Let $\{x_n\}_{n\geq 1}$ be defined as $x_n = \frac{n}{n^3+1}+\frac{2n}{n^3+2}+\dots+\frac{n\cdot n}{n^3+n}$. Then $\lim\limits_{n\to\infty} x_n$ is?

I want to find limit of this problem by a very specific method . I am uploading the pic of that method and my attempt. Please guide me as to how to take this method ahead.

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    Yes I have studied that2017-01-25
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    Can u please sholve this one I am not able to convert this one because of the denominator ...There is R/n^3..How to convert that2017-01-25
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    After you ask a question here, if you get an acceptable answer, you should "accept" the answer by clicking the check mark ✓ next to it. This scores points for you and for the person who answered your question. You can find out more about accepting answers here: [How do I accept an answer?](http://meta.math.stackexchange.com/questions/3286/), [Why should we accept answers?](http://meta.math.stackexchange.com/questions/3399/).2017-02-24

3 Answers 3

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Alternate solution:

$$x_n < \frac{n}{n^3+1} + \frac{2n}{n^3+1} + \cdots + \frac{n\cdot n}{n^3+1} = \frac{n(1+2+\cdots + n)}{n^3+1} = \frac{n\cdot n(n+1)/2}{n^3+1}.$$

The limit of the last expression is $1/2.$ From below we have

$$\frac{n}{n^3+n} + \frac{2n}{n^3+n} + \cdots + \frac{n\cdot n}{n^3+n} = \frac{n\cdot n(n+1)/2}{n^3+n} < x_n.$$

The last fraction also has limit $1/2.$ By the squeeze theorem the desired limit is $1/2.$

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Starting where you left: for $n\geq 1$, $$ x_n = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \frac{\frac{k}{n}}{1+\frac{k}{n^3}} \tag{1} $$ While this furiously looks like a Riemann sum, it is not one due to the $\frac{k}{n^3}$ in the denominator. But then, we can use the squeeze theorem: as $1\leq k\leq n$, $$ \frac{1}{1+\frac{1}{n^2}}\cdot \underbrace{\frac{1}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \frac{k}{n}}_{} = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \frac{\frac{k}{n}}{1+\frac{1}{n^2}} \leq x_n \leq \frac{1}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \frac{\frac{k}{n}}{1+\frac{1}{n^3}} = \frac{1}{1+\frac{1}{n^3}}\cdot\underbrace{\frac{1}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \frac{k}{n}}_{} $$ and since $\lim_{n\to\infty}\frac{1}{1+\frac{1}{n^2}} = \lim_{n\to\infty} \frac{1}{1+\frac{1}{n^3}} = 1$, by the squeeze theorem the limit will be that of $$ \lim_{n\to\infty} \frac{1}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \frac{k}{n} = \int_0^1 f(x)dx $$ for some very simple function $f$.

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    (Note that you don't actually need Riemann sums to compute this last limit as the sum has a closed-form; but this is a nice application of Riemann sums.)2017-01-25
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    Why the downvote!?2017-01-26
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    Maybe it's because you didnt say that $f(x) = x$ and your answer is not labeled as hint. Some people think that if you supply an answer, you should fill in all the details and (and if you don't, mark it as hint or something).2017-01-26
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    Wow. That would make some sense, yet be... nitpicking at a great level. As compared to the other answers which explicitly do not follow the OP's request of using Riemann sums?2017-01-26
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    Well it's just a guess, can't be sure because it didn't come from me (I upvoted your answer btw).2017-01-26
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    I gathered :) Thanks for the comments!2017-01-26
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$\newcommand{\bbx}[1]{\,\bbox[8px,border:1px groove navy]{\displaystyle{#1}}\,} \newcommand{\braces}[1]{\left\lbrace\,{#1}\,\right\rbrace} \newcommand{\bracks}[1]{\left\lbrack\,{#1}\,\right\rbrack} \newcommand{\dd}{\mathrm{d}} \newcommand{\ds}[1]{\displaystyle{#1}} \newcommand{\expo}[1]{\,\mathrm{e}^{#1}\,} \newcommand{\ic}{\mathrm{i}} \newcommand{\mc}[1]{\mathcal{#1}} \newcommand{\mrm}[1]{\mathrm{#1}} \newcommand{\pars}[1]{\left(\,{#1}\,\right)} \newcommand{\partiald}[3][]{\frac{\partial^{#1} #2}{\partial #3^{#1}}} \newcommand{\root}[2][]{\,\sqrt[#1]{\,{#2}\,}\,} \newcommand{\totald}[3][]{\frac{\mathrm{d}^{#1} #2}{\mathrm{d} #3^{#1}}} \newcommand{\verts}[1]{\left\vert\,{#1}\,\right\vert}$ \begin{align} \lim_{n \to \infty}x_{n} & = \lim_{n \to \infty}\sum_{k = 1}^{n}{kn \over n^{3} + k} = \lim_{n \to \infty}\sum_{k = 1}^{n}{\pars{k + n^{3}}n - n^{4} \over k + n^{3}} = \lim_{n \to \infty}\bracks{n^{2} - n^{4}\sum_{k = 0}^{n - 1}{1 \over k + 1 + n^{3}}} \\[5mm] & = \lim_{n \to \infty}\bracks{n^{2} - n^{4}\sum_{k = 0}^{\infty} \pars{{1 \over k +1 + n^{3}} - {1 \over k + n + 1 + n^{3}}}} \\[5mm] & = \lim_{n \to \infty}\bracks{n^{2} - n^{4}\pars{H_{n + n^{3}} - H_{n^{3}}}} \label{1}\tag{1} \end{align} where $\ds{H_{m}}$ is a Harmonic Number which has the asymptotic expansion $\ds{\pars{\mbox{as}\ m \to \infty}}$: $$ H_{m} \sim \ln\pars{m} + \gamma + {1 \over 2m} - {1 \over 12m^{2}} $$ $\ds{\gamma}$ is the Euler-Mascheroni Constant.


Expression \eqref{1} becomes: \begin{align} \lim_{n \to \infty}x_{n} & = \lim_{n \to \infty}\braces{n^{2} - n^{4} \bracks{\ln\pars{n + n^{3} \over n^{3}} - {1 \over 2}\,{n \over n^{3}\pars{n + n^{3}}}}} = \bbx{\ds{1 \over 2}} \end{align}