# Convergent Real Sequence/Examples/x (n+1) = k over 1 + x n

## Example of Convergent Real Sequence

Let $h, k \in \R_{>0}$.

Let $\sequence {x_n}$ be the real sequence defined as:

$x_n = \begin {cases} h & : n = 1 \\ \dfrac k {1 + x_{n - 1} } & : n > 1 \end {cases}$

Then $\sequence {x_n}$ is convergent to the positive root of the quadratic equation:

$x^2 + x = k$

## Proof

First some lemmata:

### Lemma 1

$\forall n \in \N_{>1}: k > x_n > 0$

$\Box$

### Lemma 2

Consider the subsequences $\sequence {x_{2 n} }$ and $\sequence {x_{2 n - 1} }$.

One of them is strictly increasing and the other is strictly decreasing.

$\Box$

From Lemma 2, We have that both $\sequence {x_{2 n} }$ and $\sequence {x_{2 n - 1} }$ is strictly monotone (one strictly increasing and the other strictly decreasing).

From Lemma 1, they are both bounded above by $k$ and bounded below by $0$.

Hence from the Monotone Convergence Theorem (Real Analysis), they both converge.

Let:

$x_{2 n} \to l$ as $n \to \infty$
$x_{2 n - 1} \to m$ as $n \to \infty$

Then:

 $\ds l$ $=$ $\ds \dfrac k {1 + m}$ $\ds m$ $=$ $\ds \dfrac k {1 + l}$ $\ds \leadsto \ \$ $\ds l + l m$ $=$ $\ds k$ $\ds m + l m$ $=$ $\ds k$ $\ds \leadsto \ \$ $\ds l$ $=$ $\ds m$ $\ds \leadsto \ \$ $\ds l^2 + l$ $=$ $\ds k$

Hence the result.

$\blacksquare$