# Math Help - Prove, if a sequence converges, its subsequences converge and have the same limit?

1. ## Prove, if a sequence converges, its subsequences converge and have the same limit?

Prove that if <a> converges, then every subsequence of <a> converges and has the same limit as a.

2. Originally Posted by qtpipi
Prove that if <a> converges, then every subsequence of <a> converges and has the same limit as a.

let $\epsilon > 0$

suppose that $\{a_n\} \to a$

let $\{a_{n_k}\}$ be any subsequnce

Since the sequence convereges there is an $N \in \mathbb{N}$ such that for all n > N

$|a_n-a|< \epsilon$

but since $\{a_{n_k}\}$ if futher in the sequnce then

$
\{a_{n}\}
$

so $|\{a_{n_k}\}-a|< \epsilon$

3. Originally Posted by TheEmptySet

but since $\{a_{n_k}\}$ if futher in the sequnce then

$
\{a_{n}\}
$

so $|\{a_{n_k}\}-a|< \epsilon$
I'm not sure what you're saying here, can you rephrase it? Thanks

4. Originally Posted by qtpipi
I'm not sure what you're saying here, can you rephrase it? Thanks

The integer $n_k \ge n$ a subsequence has all of the same terms as the regular sequence. It just skips some

ie $a_n=\frac{1}{n}$ and

$a_{n_k}=\frac{1}{2^{n_k}}$

the first gives the sequence

$a_n=\left\{ \frac{1}{1} ,\frac{1}{2} ,\frac{1}{3} ,\frac{1}{4} ,\frac{1}{5} ,... \right\}$

but

$a_{n_k}=\left\{ \frac{1}{1} , \frac{1}{2} ,\frac{1}{4} ,\frac{1}{8} ,\frac{1}{16} ,... \right\}$

the subsequce skips terms from the original so to get the term

$\frac{1}{16}$ $n=16$ but $n_k=4$

So $n \ge n_k$