Theory of Infinite Sequences and Series

This textbook covers the majority of traditional topics of infinite sequences and series, starting from the very beginning – the definition and elementary properties of sequences of numbers, and ending with advanced results of uniform convergence and power series.

The text is aimed at university students specializing in mathematics and natural sciences, and at all the readers interested in infinite sequences and series. It is designed for the reader who has a good working knowledge of calculus. No additional prior knowledge is required.

The text is divided into five chapters, which can be grouped into two parts: the first two chapters are concerned with the sequences and series of numbers, while the remaining three chapters are devoted to the sequences and series of functions, including the power series. Within each major topic, the exposition is inductive and starts with rather simple definitions and/or examples, becoming more compressed and sophisticated as the course progresses. Each key notion and result is illustrated with examples explained in detail. Some more complicated topics and results are marked as complements and can be omitted on a first reading.

The text includes a large number of problems and exercises, making it suitable for both classroom use and self-study. Many standard exercises are included in each section to develop basic techniques and test the understanding of key concepts. Other problems are more theoretically oriented and illustrate more intricate points of the theory, or provide counterexamples to false propositions which seem to be natural at first glance. Solutions to additional problems proposed at the end of each chapter are provided as an electronic supplement to this book.

LUDMILA BOURCHTEIN is Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist at the Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil. She received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Saint Petersburg State University, Russia. During the span of 34 years at the Mathematics Institute, Far East State University, Russia, she held different positions, from Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, to the rank of Full Professor. In the last 15 years, she served as Associate and Full Professor at the Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of Pelotas, where she was conferred with the title of Emeritus Professor in 2019. An author of more than 80 referred articles and 6 books, her research interests include real and complex analysis, conformal mappings and numerical analysis. During her research career, she was awarded a number of grants of Russian and Brazilian science foundations and scientific societies, including the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM).

ANDREI BOURCHTEIN is Professor at the Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics and Physics from the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia. He began his academic and research career as an Associate Professor at Mathematics Institute, Far East State University, Russia, and a Research Scientist at the Hydrometeorological Institute, Russia. In 1995, he joined the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil, as Associate Professor at the Institute of Physics and Mathematics before being promoted to Full Professor. An author of more than 100 refereed articles and 8 books, Prof. Bourchtein’s research interests include real and complex analysis, numerical analysis, computational fluid dynamics and numerical weather prediction. During his research career, he was awarded a number of grants from Brazilian science foundations and scientific societies, including the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM).