Let be a sequence of non-negative real numbers satisfying
for all . Prove that the sequence is bounded.
Solution
To prove boundedness, it is sufficient to show that for all . Rewrite the condition in the statement in the equivalent form
We first show that for all . Suppose, if possible, that and for some . Then
which is a contradiction.
To reach a final contradiction, suppose for some . By the preceding, and , so , which is the desired contradiction.
Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track
puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.