In the setting of The Real Numbers: Standing Notation and Background, let (ak)k∈N and (bk)k∈N be sequences of real numbers, with partial sums sn and tn respectively, and let convergence of a series and its sum be as defined there. Then the following hold.
1. (Criterion for nonnegative terms)¶ Suppose 0≤ak for every k∈N. Then sn≤sn+1 for every n∈N, and ∑k=1∞ak converges if and only if the set {sn:n∈N} is bounded above; in that case
k=1∑∞ak=sup{sn:n∈N}.
2. (Domination by the sum)¶ Suppose 0≤ak for every k∈N and ∑k=1∞ak converges. Then
0≤sn≤k=1∑∞akfor every n∈N.
3. (Comparison test)¶ Suppose 0≤ak≤bk for every k∈N and that ∑k=1∞bk converges. Then ∑k=1∞ak converges and
k=1∑∞ak≤k=1∑∞bk.
4. (Geometric series)¶ Let r∈R satisfy 0≤r<1, and let rk denote the natural power. Then 1−r is positive, the sequence (rk)k∈N converges to 0, and
k=1∑nrk=1−rr−rn+1for every n∈N.
The series ∑k=1∞rk converges, and for every n∈N
k=1∑∞rk=1−rr,k=1∑∞rk−k=1∑nrk=1−rrn+1.
In particular, taking r=21, the series ∑k=1∞(21)k converges with sum 1, and ∑k=1∞(21)k−∑k=1n(21)k=(21)n for every n∈N.
5. (Tail bound for a dominated series of nonnegative terms)¶ Let (μk)k∈N be a sequence of nonnegative real numbers such that ∑k=1∞μk converges, let M∈R be nonnegative, and let (wk)k∈N be a sequence of real numbers with 0≤wk≤M for every k∈N. Then the series ∑k=1∞μkwk converges and, for every n∈N,
0≤k=1∑∞μkwk−k=1∑nμkwk≤M(k=1∑∞μk−k=1∑nμk).