<s>[INST] A misbehaved Power Series (contradiction with ln(2)) 
Possible Duplicate:
Explain why calculating this series could cause paradox? 

Using the power series expansion $\ln(x+1)=\sum _{k=1}^\infty \frac{(-1)^{k+1}}{k}x^k$ we have $\ln(2)=(1-\frac{1}{2})+(\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{4})+\cdots+(\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{2k})+\cdots=\sum _{k=1}^\infty (\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{2k})$. Let's rearrange the terms of this sequence so that two negative terms follow each positive term:
$\ln(2)=(1-\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{4})+(\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{6}-\frac{1}{8})+\cdots+(\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{4k-2}-\frac{1}{4k})+\cdots=\sum _{k=1}^\infty (\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{4k-2}-\frac{1}{4k})$. However, $\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{4k-2}-\frac{1}{4k}=\frac{1}{2}(\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{2k})$; therefore, $\sum _{k=1}^\infty (\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{4k-2}-\frac{1}{4k})=\frac{1}{2}\sum _{k=1}^\infty (\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{2k})$, but how can the latter inequality hold if $\sum _{k=1}^\infty (\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{2k})$ and $\sum _{k=1}^\infty (\frac{1}{2k-1}-\frac{1}{4k-2}-\frac{1}{4k})$ are equal to $\ln(2)$?
Feel free to come up with a better title...
 [/INST] Nice argument! You have produced a special case of the Riemann Rearrangement Theorem.
If we have a conditionally convergent series, the terms can be rearranged so that the sum is anything we like, or so that the sum does not exist. You have rearranged a conditionally convergent series for $\log 2$ so that it has sum $\frac{1}{2}\log 2$.
Remark: Results that are clear for finite sums do not necessarily extend to infinite "sums." And continuous functions do not necessarily behave like the smooth curves of our imagination. That is part of what makes analysis necessary.
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