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Type R $\lambda$-Permutation Approach to Velleman's Open Problem

Combinatorics 2025-07-31 v2

Abstract

Previously, mathematicians Steven Krantz and Jeffery McNeal studied a type of positive numbers permutation called λ\lambda-permutation. This type of permutation, when applied to the index of terms of a series, is defined to be both convergence-preserving and "fixing" at least one divergent series, that is, rearranging the terms of any convergent series will result in a convergent series, while rearranging the terms of some divergent series will result in a convergent series. In general, if a divergent series can be fixed to converge in some way (it does not need to be by λ\lambda-permutation), it is called a "conditionally divergent series". In 2006, another mathematician Daniel Velleman raised an open problem related to λ\lambda-permutation: for a conditionally divergent series n=0an,nN,anR\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}a_n,n\in \mathbb{N},a_n\in \mathbb{R}, let S={LR ⁣:L=n=0aσ(n)S=\{L \in \mathbb{R} \colon L = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{a_{\sigma\left(n\right)}} for some λ-permutation σ}\text{for some } \lambda\text{-permutation } \sigma\}, can SS ever be something between \emptyset and R\mathbb{R}? This paper is devoted to partially answering this open problem by considering a subset of λ\lambda-permutation constraint by how we can permute, named type R λ\lambda-permutation. Then we answer the analogous question about a subset of S with respect to type R λ\lambda-permutation, named ZR={LR ⁣:L=n=0aσ(n)Z_{R}=\{L \in \mathbb{R} \colon L = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}{a_{\sigma\left(n\right)}} for some type R λ-permutation σ}\text{for some type R } \lambda \text{-permutation } \sigma\}. We show that ZRZ_R is either \emptyset, a singleton or R\mathbb{R}. We also provide sufficient conditions on the conditionally divergent series n=0an\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}a_n for ZRZ_R to be a singleton or R\mathbb{R}, by introducing a "substantial property" on the series.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2507.20062,
  title  = {Type R $\lambda$-Permutation Approach to Velleman's Open Problem},
  author = {2020 Collaboration and Hadi Hammoud and Andrew D Harsh and Antonio Marino and Assaf Marzan and Daniil Nikolievich Shaposhnikov and Kealan Vasquez and Hui Xiao and Yunus Zeytuncu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.20062},
  year   = {2025}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T04:20:27.791Z