Wednesday, December 14, 2016

calculus - Closed Form for $~limlimits_{ntoinfty}~sqrt ncdot(-e)^{-n}cdotsumlimits_{k=0}^nfrac{(-n)^k}{k!}$





$\qquad\qquad\qquad$ Does $~\displaystyle\lim_{n\to\infty}\frac{\sqrt n}{(-e)^n}\cdot\sum_{k=0}^n\frac{(-n)^k}{k!}~$ possess a closed form expression ?




Inspired by this frequently asked question, I wondered what would happen if the sum were allowed to alternate. Numerically, it seems to converge to a value around $~\dfrac15$ . Unfortunately, I wasn't truly able to grasp any of the various approaches used to evaluate the other related limit $($yes, I actually read carefully through all of them$)$, so I haven't been successful in developing a viable method for expressing this one either. $($Perhaps a new, insightful answer will also help me cast some fresh light on older ones ?$)$


Answer



It was shown in the answers to this question that



$$

e^{-x}\sum_{k=0}^n\frac{x^k}{k!} = \frac{1}{n!}\int_x^\infty e^{-t}\,t^n\,dt,
$$



so setting $x=-n$ we have



$$
\begin{align}
e^{n}\sum_{k=0}^n\frac{(-n)^k}{k!} &= \frac{1}{n!}\int_0^\infty e^{-t}\,t^n\,dt + \frac{1}{n!}\int_{-n}^0 e^{-t}\,t^n\,dt \\
&= 1 + \frac{(-1)^n}{n!} \int_0^n e^u u^n\,du \\
&= 1 + \frac{(-1)^n n^{n+1}}{n!} \int_0^1 e^{n [v+\log v]}\,dv. \tag{$*$}

\end{align}
$$



The quantity $v+\log v$ is increasing and so has a maximum at $v=1$, and near there



$$
v+\log v = 1 + 2(v-1) + O\!\left((v-1)^2\right).
$$



By the Laplace method we therefore have




$$
\int_0^1 e^{n [v+\log v]}\,dv \sim \int_{-\infty}^1 e^{n[1 + 2(v-1)]}\,dv = \frac{e^n}{2n}.
$$



Using this and Stirling's formula



$$
n! \sim \left(\frac{n}{e}\right)^n \sqrt{2\pi n}
$$




we deduce from $(*)$ that



$$
\sum_{k=0}^n\frac{(-n)^k}{k!} \sim \frac{(-e)^n}{2\sqrt{2\pi n}}.
$$



The limit in the question is



$$

\lim_{n\to\infty}\frac{\sqrt n}{(-e)^n}\cdot\sum_{k=0}^n\frac{(-n)^k}{k!} = \frac{1}{2\sqrt{2\pi}} = 0.199471\ldots
$$


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