What do you get if you add an infinite number of infinitesimals?

Answer:
It depends. (Don't you just hate it when the answer begins like that?)

A set like that can come to a finite limit, or become infinite.

For example,
1 + x/1! + x2/2! + x3/3! + ... where n! denotes 1*2*3*...*n converges to e, the irrational number that is the base of natural logarithms. e = 2.71828 (approx).

Or

4/1 - 4/3 + 4/5 - 4/7 + ... = π, the irrational number which is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Or

1 + 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + ... which converges to 2.

On the other hand,

1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/5 + ... keeps growing - forever.
First answer by Mehtamatics. Last edit by Mehtamatics. Contributor trust: 614 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question].