Continued fractions for finite sums (Q1895932): Difference between revisions

Given a finite sum \(S_n : = \sum^n_{i = 0} b_i\) with \(b_i \neq 0\) for all \(i > 0\), the author finds a continued fraction expansion \(a_0 + {\overset 2^n - {1} {\underset i = {1} K}} (1/a_i)\) such that \[ S_k = \sum^k_{i = 0} b_i = a_0 + {\overset 2^k - {1} {\underset i = {1} K}} (1/a_i) \quad \text{for } 0 \leq k \leq n. \] The continued fraction has the form \[ \begin{aligned} S_0 & = a_0 = b_0 \\ S_2 & = a_0 + {1 \over a_1} \\ S_2 & = a_0 + K^3_{i = 1} (1/a_i) = a_0 + {1 \over a_1} + {1 \over a_2} + {1 \over - a_1} \\ S_3 & = a_0 + K^7_{i = 1} (1/a_i) = a_0 + {1 \over a_1} + {1 \over a_2} + {1 \over - a_1} + {1 \over a_4} + {1 \over a_1} + {1 \over -a_2} + {1 \over - a_1} \\ & = a_0 + {1 \over a_1} + {1 \over a_2} + {1 \over a_3} + {1 \over a_4} + {1 \over - a_3} + {1 \over - a_2} + {1 \over - a_1} \\ & \text{etc.} \end{aligned} \] (There are some misprints in Theorem 1.) The results can for instance be seen as corollaries to Euler's continued fraction expansion of a given sum \(\sum^\infty_{i = 0} b_i\) [\textit{L. Euler}, Introductio in Analysis Infinitorum, Vol. 1, Chapter 18 (1748)]. [See for instance, \textit{W. B. Jones} and \textit{W. J. Thron}, Continued fractions, Addision-Wesley (1980; Zbl 0445.30003), p. 37]).