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1 − 2 + 3 − 4 + · · · = 1/4

Name: Anonymous 2009-05-01 0:38

Prove me wrong.

Name: Anonymous 2009-05-07 10:56

It is 1/4.

Let's say we have n number of elements. Now you have two possibilites:

1.) 2n/2 is an integral, (n = 2 or 4, 6 and so on)
then the left side of the equation can be put as a number of sums, example: (1-2) + (3-4) + ... + [n - ( n - 1 ) ] + ...

there are n/2 sums like this one, each gives the result '-1', this gives (-1)*(n/2)=-n/2, as the left side of the equation.

2.) second possibility is that 2n/2 is NOT an integral. Then the left side of the equation is equal to:
(1-2) + (3-4) + ... + [ n - ( n + 1 ) ... + n.
in the end I add 'n' since 'n' is an odd number,
this sums up to [(n/2)*(-1) + n] = -n/2 + 2n/2 = n/2

So I have two possibilites, assuming n->infinity.

Both possibilites are equally probable, therefore truth is the average value of the sum, which is:

[ (-n/2) + n/2 ]* (1/2) = 1/4.

"ok"

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