What is the Upper Bound of this Summation?

In summary, the conversation is discussing a summation that the speaker is trying to solve, but has been unable to do so. They mention trying to find an upper bound and using naive methods before turning to the incomplete gamma function to solve it. However, they encounter a problem when trying to find the value of the gamma function for a non-positive integer. Ultimately, they are able to find a solution by using the expansion of the exponential function.
  • #1
mooncrater
217
18
There is this summation, that I've been trying to solve, but am not able to do so. It is :
$$\sum\limits_{i=k}^{n} \frac {1}{(n-i)! m^{i-1}}$$
I would be happy to find it's upper bound too. So what I did was intensely naive. I made the denominator the minimum by making ##(n-i)! = 1## and ##m^{i-1} = m^{k-1}## (As that would give an upper bound too, but rather a loose one). That, as expected, didn't suffice my needs. Any ideas about how to solve this one?
Moon.
 
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  • #2
If you rewrite the summation in terms of ##\lambda \equiv (n-i)##, you get a partial sum of the exponential series:
[tex]\left(\frac{1}{m^{n-1}}\right)\,\sum_{\lambda = 0}^{n-k} \frac{m^{\lambda}}{\lambda!}[/tex],
which well can be bounded by the exponential or written in terms of the incomplete gamma function.
 
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  • #3
Thanks ! :)
 
  • #4
Sorry, but I'm facing a problem again. I found about incomplete gamma functions on wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incomplete_gamma_function

And I found that the upper incomplete gamma function, and the limiting function( defined as ##\gamma *##) suffice my needs. As it's given that :
$$\gamma * (s,z) = e^{-z} \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac {z^{k}}{\Gamma (s+k+1)} $$
which is equivalent to:
$$\gamma *(s,z) = e^{-z} \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac {z^{k}}{(s+k)!} $$
When we put ##s=0## then we get :
$$\gamma *(0,z) = e^{-z} \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac {z^{k}}{ k!} $$
thus in order to find this summation, we need to find :
$$\ {\gamma *(0,z)} {e^{z}} $$
So, basically we've to find ##\gamma *(0,z)## .
There is this Hargot's Theorem given in the wikipedia's page which says :
$$ \gamma (s,z) = z^{s} \Gamma (s) \gamma *(s,z) $$
Thus,
$$\gamma *(s,z) =\frac { \gamma(s,z)} {z^{s} \Gamma(s) } $$
since ##s=0##, therefore :
$$\gamma *(0,z) = \frac{\gamma(0,z)} {1* \Gamma(0)} $$
But, according to this link :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particular_values_of_the_Gamma_function
Gamma function is not defined for non-positive integers.
So, how do I tackle this ##\Gamma(0)## ?
Moon.
 
  • #5
mooncrater said:
Gamma function is not defined for non-positive integers.
So, how do I tackle this Γ(0)\Gamma(0) ?
Quoate from Ahlfors: Γ(z) is a meromorphic function with poles at z = 0, -1, -2, ... but without zeros.
 
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  • #6
Huh?
$$\gamma *(0,z) = e^{-z} \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac {z^{k}}{ k!} = e^{-z} e^z = 1$$
Done?
 
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  • #7
mfb said:
Huh?
$$\gamma *(0,z) = e^{-z} \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac {z^{k}}{ k!} = e^{-z} e^z = 1$$
Done?
Sorry, forgot about the expansion of the majestic ##e^{x}## itself.
Moon.
 

Related to What is the Upper Bound of this Summation?

What is the definition of the Upper Bound of a Summation?

The Upper Bound of a Summation is the maximum possible value that a summation can have. It is often used in mathematics to establish the highest limit of a series.

How is the Upper Bound of a Summation calculated?

The Upper Bound of a Summation is calculated by finding the largest term in the series and multiplying it by the number of terms in the series. This gives an upper limit on the total value of the summation.

Why is the Upper Bound of a Summation important?

The Upper Bound of a Summation is important because it helps to determine the maximum possible value of a series. This can be useful in many applications, including estimating the performance of algorithms or analyzing the convergence of a sequence.

What is the difference between the Upper Bound and the Lower Bound of a Summation?

The Upper Bound of a Summation is the highest possible value of the series, while the Lower Bound of a Summation is the lowest possible value. The Upper Bound can help establish an upper limit on the total value of the series, while the Lower Bound can help establish a lower limit.

How is the Upper Bound of a Summation related to Big-O notation?

The Upper Bound of a Summation is often used to analyze the time complexity of an algorithm using Big-O notation. The Upper Bound can provide an upper limit on the number of operations required for the algorithm, giving an idea of its efficiency and scalability.

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