calculus ii review

Bounded below

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025

Definition

A sequence is bounded below if there exists a real number that is less than or equal to every term in the sequence. This means that the terms of the sequence never fall below this specific value.

Course connection

Topic 5.1: 5.1 Sequences

Unit 5

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. A sequence \( \{a_n\} \) is bounded below if there exists a lower bound \( L \) such that \( a_n \geq L \) for all terms in the sequence.
  2. The lower bound does not need to be unique; any number less than or equal to all terms of the sequence qualifies as a lower bound.
  3. Being bounded below does not imply convergence, but it is a necessary condition for convergence in many contexts.
  4. The concept of being bounded below can be applied to both finite and infinite sequences.
  5. In mathematical notation, if a sequence is bounded below by \( L \), we write: $\exists L \,\text{such that}\, a_n \geq L \,\forall n$.