Description: Define the sum of a
series with an index set of integers  .  The
       variable   is
normally a free variable in  , i.e.,   can
be
       thought of as     .  This definition is the result of a
       collection of discussions over the most general definition for a sum
       that does not need the index set to have a specified ordering.  This
       definition is in two parts, one for finite sums and one for subsets of
       the upper integers.  When summing over a subset of the upper integers,
       we extend the index set to the upper integers by adding zero outside the
       domain, and then sum the set in order, setting the result to the limit
       of the partial sums, if it exists.  This means that conditionally
       convergent sums can be evaluated meaningfully.  For finite sums, we are
       explicitly order-independent, by picking any bijection to a 1-based
       finite sequence and summing in the induced order.  In both cases we have
       an  
expression so that we only need   to be defined where
            .  In the infinite case, we also require
that the indexing
       set be a decidable subset of an upperset of integers (that is,
       membership of integers in it is decidable).  These two methods of
       summation produce the same result on their common region of definition
       (i.e., finite sets of integers).  Examples:
                       means              , and
                             means 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + ... = 1
       (geoihalfsum 11687).  (Contributed by NM, 11-Dec-2005.) 
(Revised by Jim
       Kingdon, 21-May-2023.) |