ThmDex – An index of mathematical definitions, results, and conjectures.
P2300
Proceeding by induction, the base case of $N : = 1$ is vacuously true: \begin{equation} \sum_{n = 0}^N (x_{n + 1} - x_n) = (x_1 - x_0) = x_1 - x_0 \end{equation} Assume then that the equality $\sum_{n = 0}^N (x_{n + 1} - x_n) = x_N - x_0$ holds for some $N \geq 1$. Then \begin{equation} \begin{split} \sum_{n = 0}^{N + 1} (x_{n + 1} - x_n) & = (x_{N + 1} - x_N) + \sum_{n = 0}^N (x_{n + 1} - x_n) \\ & = (x_{N + 1} - x_N) + x_N - x_0 \\ & = x_{N + 1} - x_0 \end{split} \end{equation} The first claim therefore follows from R800: Proof by principle of weak mathematical induction. For the second claim, suppose that $x$ converges to $0$ as $n$ increases without bound. Taking limits on both sides of $\sum_{n = 0}^N (x_{n + 1} - x_n) = x_N - x_0$ as $N \to \infty$, one has \begin{equation} \lim_{N \to \infty} \sum_{n = 0}^N (x_{n + 1} - x_n) = \lim_{N \to \infty} (x_N - x_0) = - x_0 \end{equation} $\square$