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How to find the sequences of $\sin n$ (n=natural number) sub-sequence limits? I know that it is a $[-1;1]$, but how to proof?

Edit: Is it true, that sin(n), with all natural numbers have different value? How to proof? If that is true, it is posible found bijection between N->[-1;1]

  • Partial limits? can you, please, explain this term? – Math137 May 28 '14 at 20:13
  • Sorry for my English. This is like a part of limits. eg: say, we have sequence {1,2,3,1,2,3...} here we have partial limits is 1,2,3. Other: {1,2,3,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,5...} here we have inf of partial limits – FrankFex May 28 '14 at 20:20

2 Answers2

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Outline: Consider the points $P(n)=(\cos n,\sin n)$ as $n$ ranges over the positive integers. It is enough to show that this set of points is dense in the unit circle.

Since $\pi$ is irrational, we have $P(m)\ne P(n)$ if $m\ne n$. It follows by the Pigeonhole Principle that given any $\epsilon \gt 0$, there exist $m_0$ and $n_0$, with $m_0\lt n_0$, such that $0\lt d(P(m_0),P(n_0))\lt \epsilon$. In particular, $0 \lt |\sin(m_0) -\sin(n_0)|\lt \epsilon$.

Then for any point $P$ on the unit circle, there are infinitely many positive integers $k$ such that the distance of $P(m_0+k(n_0-m_0))$ from $P$ is less than $\epsilon$. In particular, for any $x$ there exist infinitely many $k$ such that $|\sin x -\sin(m_0+k(n_0-m_0))|\lt \epsilon$.

Remark: The modified question asks whether $\sin m$ and $\sin n$ can be equal if $m\ne n$. Note that $\sin x=\sin y$ if and only if $y=x+2k\pi$ or $y=(2k+1)\pi -x$ for some integer $k$. Since $\pi$ is irrational, this cannot happen if $x=m$ and $y=n$, where $m$ and $n$ are distinct integers. In essence this fact was used in the proof outlined in the answer.

André Nicolas
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  • Thank you! But I have one more question, how to proof, that sin(n) sequence of sub-sequence limits is [-1;1]? Is it enough to say, that we can write -1<sin(n)<1 ? How to proof? Thank you! – FrankFex May 29 '14 at 11:26
  • The solution above shows that the points $P(n)$ are dense on the unit circle. So the set of their projections onto the $y$-axis (the set of their $y$-coordinates) is dense in the interval $[-1,1]$. If $(c_n)$ is any sequence such that the set ${c_n}$ is dense in the interval $[a,b]$, then the set of subsequential limits of $(c_n)$ contains $[a,b]$. All these things are geometrically evident, and can be given formal $\epsilon$-$N$ proofs – André Nicolas May 29 '14 at 12:26
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It's easy to prove that $\forall n,m\in\mathbb{N}, \sin n \neq \sin m$ if $n \neq m $.

If $\sin{n}=\sin{m}$, then $n=m+2\pi k (k\in\mathbb{Z})$ by periodicity. So, $\pi=\dfrac{n-m}{2k}\in\mathbb{Q}$ But since the left side is clearly irrational number, this contradiction implies the above fact.