Intuitive question
It is a popular math fact that the sum definition of the Riemann zeta function:
ζ(s)=∞∑n=11ns
can be extended to the whole complex plane (except one) to obtain ζ(−1)=−112. The right hand side for the above equation in −1 becomes the sum of the natural numbers so in some sense we have obtained a value for it. My question is: is this value depending on the choice of the Riemann zeta function as the function to be analytically continued, or do we always get −112?
Proper formulation
let (fn:D⊂C→C)n∈N be a sequence of functions and a∈C with ∀n∈N:fn(a)=n and
f(z):=∞∑n=0fn(z)
convergent on a part of the complex plane, such that it can be analytically continued to a part of the plane that contains a. Does it then follow that, under this continuation, f(a)=−112 and why (or can you give a counterexample)?
Examples
- The case of the Riemann zeta function is the case where ∀n∈N:fn(s)=1ns and a=−1
- The case where ∀n∈N:fn(z)=nzn and a=1 does yield the sum of all natural numbers but it's continuation z(z−1)2 has a pole at a.
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