๐Ÿ“ˆcollege algebra review

Diverges

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Definition

A series or sequence diverges if it does not converge to a finite limit. This means the terms do not approach a specific value as they progress to infinity.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. A series is said to diverge if the partial sums do not approach a finite limit.
  2. An infinite sequence diverges if its terms do not tend towards a single number as the index increases.
  3. A common test for divergence is the nth-term test, which states that if $\lim_{n \to \infty} a_n \neq 0$, then the series $\sum a_n$ diverges.
  4. Geometric series with $|r| \geq 1$ will always diverge.
  5. If a series alternates in sign but does not satisfy the conditions of the Alternating Series Test, it may still diverge.

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