Definition:Limit Inferior

Definition
Let $\left \langle {x_n} \right \rangle$ be a bounded sequence in $\R$.

Let $L$ be the set of all real numbers which are the limit of some subsequence of $\left \langle {x_n} \right \rangle$.

From Existence of Maximum and Minimum of Bounded Sequence, $L$ has a minimum.

This minimum is called the limit inferior.

It can be denoted:
 * $\displaystyle \liminf_{n \to \infty} \left({x_n}\right) = \underline l$

It can be defined as:
 * $\displaystyle \liminf_{n \to \infty} \left({x_n}\right) = \sup \left\{{\inf_{m \ge n} x_m: n \in \N}\right\}$

Also known as
The limit inferior is also called the lower limit, or just liminf.

Also see

 * Limit Superior


 * Limit Inferior of Sequence of Sets for an extension of this concept into the field of measure theory.