WHAT IS... ABEL SUMMATION?!

H-TRAIN

Abstract. This is an expository note to describe what authors in a mathematical paper may mean when
they say This is an immediate consequence of Abel Summation. This note is meant to be self-contained.

In single variable calculus the integration by parts formula,

Z
Z b
f (x)0 g 0 (x)dx = f (b)g 0 (b) f (a)g 0 (a)

f (x)g 00 (x)dx

is a wonderful trick to keep in a students toolbox. It can help with the evaluation of particularly difficult
integrals. Can a similar technique be used to simplify infinite series? The insight comes from the analogy
that sums are like integrals, and differences are like derivatives. With this in mind we prove a lemma of Abel
Pn
Pn
Lemma
0.1 (Abel Summation By Parts). Given two finite sums
k=1 ak and
k=1 bk , define An =
Pn
a
.
Then
we
have
k
k=1
n
n
X
X
Ak (bk bk1 ) + An bn Am1 bm
ak bk =
k=m

k=m

Proof. First note that from these definitions it follows that am = Am Am1 . Then the proof involves the
following computation, which amounts to rearranging the terms in this sum:
n
X

ak bk =

n
X

(Ak Ak1 )bk =

n1
X

Ak bk

Ak bk + An bn Am1 bm

k=m

n1
X

n1
X

Ak1 bk =

k=m

k=m

k=m

k=m

n
X

n1
X

n
X

Ak bk

k=m

n1
X

Ak bk+1

k=m1

Ak bk+1

k=m

Ak (bk bk1 ) + An bn Am1 bm

k=m

as claimed.

Now that we have this lovely summation by parts formula, we can get to using it, to prove some results!
But first, more definitions!

n
P
P
Definition 0.2 (Cauchy Criterion). The series
xk = lim
xk = lim sn converges if and only if
n k=1

k=1

1r > 0 small, m N such that

 j

X 
1


xk  = |sj si |



r
k=i

for all i, j m
The idea behind this convergence criterion is, this condition makes the limit of partial sums into a Cauchy
sequence, and hence the sequence converges to some real number. Intuitively, if the value of the sum gets
small for the sum of terms far enough out in the sequence, this guarantees convergence of the sum. Now lets
prove the formula for Abel Summation. This will give us a stronger form of the Alternating Series Test
from calc 2.
Theorem 0.3 (Abel Summation). Given two sequences of real numbers {ak } and {bk } which satisfy
Date: December 2014.
1

H-TRAIN

Pn
The partial sums An = k=1 ak form a bounded sequence
The sequence {bk } is monotone decreasing
and limk bk = 0
P
then the series k=1 ak bk converges.
Proof. To show convergence we will show this series satisfies the Cauchy Criterion. Let 1r > 0 be given.
Let |An | M < + for all n, since the An are bounded. Since limk bk = 0, then m N such that
1
bN 2M
r . Then for all n, m N we have




 
n
 n1


X
  n1
1
X



 X
(bk bk+1 ) + bn bm  = 2M bm 2M bN
Ak (bk bk+1 ) + An bn Am1 bm  M 
ak bk  = 





 
r
k=m

k=m

k=m

hence this series satisfies the Cauchy Criterion and so it converges.

Note that for the case of the alternating series test, set ak = (1)k . Now, lets prove convergence of
the series considered by Allouche. In his paper, in proposition 3, Allouche has
Pnthat {k } is a sequence
for which the growth of the partial sums is bounded, i.e. M R such that k=1 k M log(n) for all
n 0. Additionally f : R C such that f (x) is monotone decreasing to zero as x . Then to prove
P

k=1 k f (k) is convergent, we use Abel Summation! Since bk 0 then n N there exists l N such that
bm n1 for all m l. Hence
 n1


  n1
 n

X

 X
X



 

(bk bk+1 ) + bn bm 
Ek (bk bk+1 ) + En bn Em1 bm  M log(n) 
k f (k) = 




 

k=m

k=m

and as n , n n

1
2M log(n)
= 2M log(n)bm
= 2M log(n n )
n
1
1, so log(n n ) 0. Hence this series converges.

k=m