The Student Room Group
Reply 1
(a) let A be a non-empty set of real numbers. Define the supremum of A.

The supremum is smiply the least upper bound of the set A - i.e. it is the smallest real number y such that xyx\leq y for all xAx \in A


(b) Define,
P:= { 1 - (1/p²) |
Unparseable latex formula:

p \in N \

, p prime }.
What is the value of sup(P)?
Use (a) to prove that sup(P) takes this value.

It can be proved that there are an infinite number of primes and so 1p2\frac{1}{p^2} will go to zero as we take larger and larger primes - hence sup(P)=1.

Proof:
We need to show:
(1) 1 is an upper bound: 11p2<1pP1-\frac{1}{p^2}<1 \forall p\in P
(2) 1 is the least upper bound: 11p21ϵpP1-\frac{1}{p^2}\not< 1-\epsilon \forall p\in P for any ϵ>0\epsilon >0

(1) 11p2<11-\frac{1}{p^2}<1 is true for 1p2<0\frac{-1}{p^2}<0 which is for p2>0p^2>0 and since p2p^2 is always positive (indeed p>1) this is easily assured.
(2) Suppose 1 isn't the least upper bound.
Unparseable latex formula:

1-\frac{1}{p^2}< 1-\epsilon \forall p\in P \\[br]-\frac{1}{p^2} <-\epsilon \forall p\in P \\[br]\frac{1}{p^2} > \epsilon \forall p\in P


However, this expression is clearly false as
Unparseable latex formula:

\frac{1}{p^2}<\epsilon \forall p>\sqrt{\frac{1}{\epsilon}


Hence we have a contradiction so our assumption was wrong and so 1 is the least upper bound.
Reply 2
Gaz031
The supremum is smiply the least upper bound of the set A - i.e. it is the smallest real number y such that xyx\leq y for all xAx \in A



It can be proved that there are an infinite number of primes and so 1p2\frac{1}{p^2} will go to zero as we take larger and larger primes - hence sup(P)=1.

Proof:
We need to show:
(1) 1 is an upper bound: 11p2<1pP1-\frac{1}{p^2}<1 \forall p\in P
(2) 1 is the least upper bound: 11p21ϵpP1-\frac{1}{p^2}\not< 1-\epsilon \forall p\in P for any ϵ>0\epsilon >0

(1) 11p2<11-\frac{1}{p^2}<1 is true for 1p2<0\frac{-1}{p^2}<0 which is for p2>0p^2>0 and since p2p^2 is always positive (indeed p>1) this is easily assured.
(2) Suppose 1 isn't the least upper bound.
Unparseable latex formula:

1-\frac{1}{p^2}< 1-\epsilon \forall p\in P \\[br]-\frac{1}{p^2} <-\epsilon \forall p\in P \\[br]\frac{1}{p^2} > \epsilon \forall p\in P


However, this expression is clearly false as
Unparseable latex formula:

\frac{1}{p^2}<\epsilon \forall p>\sqrt{\frac{1}{\epsilon}


Hence we have a contradiction so our assumption was wrong and so 1 is the least upper bound.

thanks - you have rep

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