Lagmental Vicfred

The Weierstrass M-Test Controls a Function Series by Vicfred

A summable numerical majorant gives uniform and absolute convergence of a series of functions. The point is to make the formal expression readable enough to audit line by line.

Start locally

A sequence \(f_n:X\to\mathbf R\) converges uniformly to \(f\) when \(\sup_{x\in X}|f_n(x)-f(x)|\to0\). The supremum norm captures one error bound valid everywhere.

$$ |f_n(x)|\le M_n\quad\forall x,\qquad\sum_nM_n<\infty $$

The definition determines which expressions are legal; only then does the identity become meaningful. An equality in \(\mathcal A\) may change ambient meaning, so I keep \(\mathsf D\) separate from \(\mathsf C\).

$$ \sum_nf_n\ \text{converges uniformly and absolutely} $$

Compute before generalising

The middle display is intentionally dense: it is where signs, bounds, multiplicities, or normalising factors are most likely to be lost.

$$ \sup_x\left|\sum_{n=N}^{M}f_n(x)\right|\le\sum_{n=N}^{M}M_n\xrightarrow[N,M\to\infty]{}0 $$

The global view

The invariant statement is the one that does not depend on a convenient choice of coordinates, representatives, basis, or enumeration.

$$ \begin{aligned} \mathsf{D}\;&:\quad |f_n(x)|\le M_n\quad\forall x,\qquad\sum_nM_n<\infty,\\[5pt] \mathsf{C}\;&:\quad \sum_nf_n\ \text{converges uniformly and absolutely}. \end{aligned} $$

Edge conditions

Pointwise convergence allows the bad point to move with \(n\). Continuity, integration, and differentiation survive limits under different uniform hypotheses.

$$ \boxed{\begin{gathered} \text{compact conclusion}\\[-2pt] \sum_nf_n\ \text{converges uniformly and absolutely} \end{gathered}} $$

The result is compact enough to reuse without pretending that the caveat has disappeared. The worked line remains the quickest consistency check.

This article was posted on Tue 25 June 2019. Facts and circumstances may have changed since publication.
Please contact me before jumping to conclusions if something seems wrong or unclear.