On the harmonic continued fractions (Q2319931)

The authors study ordinary continued fractions with coefficients \(\frac{t}{1},\frac{t}{2},\frac{t}{3},\ldots\) for \(t>0\), denoted by \(HCF(t)\), and derive explicit formulae for the numerators and denominators of the convergents. The main results can be found in \S5: \textbf{ Theorem 14.} \[p_n=\frac{1}{(n+1)!}\sum_{k=0}^{n+1}\,\left(\begin{matrix} n+1 \\ k \end{matrix}\right)\left(\frac{t}{2}-1\right)_{[k]} \left(\frac{t}{2}+1\right)^{[n+1-k]}\] \textbf{ Theorem 15.} \[q_n=\frac{1}{(n+1)!}\sum_{k=0}^n\,\sum_{u=0}^k\,\sum_{v=0}^{n-k}\,(-1)^k \left(\begin{matrix} n+1 \\ k+1 \end{matrix}\right) \left(\begin{matrix} k \\ u \end{matrix}\right) \left(\begin{matrix} n-k \\ v \end{matrix}\right) \left(\frac{t}{2}\right)_{[u]} \left(\frac{t}{2}\right)^{[k-u]} \left(\frac{t}{2}-1 \right)_{[v]} \left(\frac{t}{2}+1\right)^{[n-k-v]}\] In \S6 this results are stated for the case of \(t\) being an even positive integer. This then leads in \S7 to three explicit formulae for the limitvalue of \(HCF(2a)\); the third is \textbf{ Theoren 21} (third part) For any positive integer \(a\) the value of \(HCF(2a)\) is \[\frac{(-1)^{a-1}}{2a\ln{2}-1-2a\left(1-\frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{4}+\cdots-\frac{1}{2\left[\frac{a}{2}\right]}\right).}\] The layout of the paper is as follows: \textbf{ \S1 Introduction} This section states the usual theoretic background and system behind the continued fraction algorithm. Included are the famous three term recurrence relation for the numerators/denominators from the coefficients \(a_n,b_n (n\geq 0)\) (\textit{Euler-Wallis recurrence\/}) and the \textit{Seidel-Stern Theorem\/} \[\hbox{If } b_n=1\hbox{ and }a_n>0,\hbox{ then: the continued fraction converges \textit{iff\/} }\sum\,a_n\hbox{ diverges.}\] \textbf{ \S2 Notations and preliminary remarks} Introducing a.o \textit{falling\/} and \textit{rising\/} factorials \(x_{[n]}\) and \(x_{[n]}\), the unsigned and signed Stirling numbers of the first kind \(s_1(n,k)\) and \(|s_1(n,k)|\), the Stirling numbers of the second kind \(s_2(n,k)\), the Euler polynomials \(E_n(x)\) (through there generating function). \textbf{ \S3 Convolution alternating power sums} The alternating power sum is \(T_i(n)=\sum_{k=0}^n\,(-1)^k k^i\) (with \(0^0=1\)) and the convolution alternating power sum \[T_{i,j}(n)=\sum_{k=0}^n\,(-1)^k k^i (n-k)^j.\] \textbf{ \S4 Euler polynomials and Stirling numbers} \textbf{ \S5 Closed form formulae for the convergent: the general case \(t\in\mathbb{R}^{+}\)} \textbf{ \S6 Closed form formulae for the convergent: the general case \(t\in2\mathbb{Z}^{+}\)} \textbf{ \S7 Main Theorem} \textbf{ \S8 Concluding remarks} \textbf{ References} (\(10\) items)