Alphabeta Math
LemmaStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedSession-authored (Fable 5 assisted)precheck passjudge pass (z-ai/glm-5.2)verified 2026-07-26 (claude-opus-5)
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A sequence has at most one limit

Statement

Let (xk)(x_k) be a sequence of reals (Sequences of reals: bounded, eventually, frequently, tails, subsequences) and let x,yRx, y \in \mathbb{R}. If (xk)(x_k) converges to xx and (xk)(x_k) converges to yy (Limits and Cauchy sequences of reals), then x=yx = y. A sequence therefore has at most one limit, and when a limit exists it may be denoted limkxk\lim_{k} x_k.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: A sequence (xk)(x_k) of reals and reals x,yx, y such that (xk)(x_k) converges to xx and (xk)(x_k) converges to yy (Sequences of reals: bounded, eventually, frequently, tails, subsequences, Limits and Cauchy sequences of reals).

[L1]

Convergence: (xk)(x_k) converges to zz when for every rational ε>0\varepsilon > 0 there is KNK \in \mathbb{N} with xkz<ε|x_k - z| < \varepsilon for all kKk \ge K (Limits and Cauchy sequences of reals).

[L2]

Triangle inequality: a+ba+b|a + b| \le |a| + |b| in any ordered field, in particular in R\mathbb{R} (The triangle inequality, Complete ordered field (least-upper-bound property)).

[L3]

Absolute value: u0|u| \ge 0, and u=0|u| = 0 if and only if u=0u = 0, and u=u|-u| = |u| (Basic properties of the absolute value).

[L4]

Small rationals: for every real η>0\eta > 0 there is a rational ε\varepsilon with 0<ε<η0 < \varepsilon < \eta. Either route gives this: density of Q\mathbb{Q} in R\mathbb{R} (The rationals embed densely in the reals) applied to the pair 0<η0 < \eta; or the Archimedean property (Every complete ordered field is Archimedean) applied to 1/η1/\eta, which yields a natural n1n \ge 1 with 1/η<n1/\eta < n and hence 0<1/n<η0 < 1/n < \eta (Inverses of positives are positive, and reciprocation reverses order).

[L5]

Order arithmetic in R\mathbb{R}. Trichotomy, so u0u \ne 0 together with u0|u| \ge 0 and u0|u| \ne 0 forces u>0|u| > 0; transitivity and irreflexivity of <<; and, since uvu \le v means u<vu < v or u=vu = v, the mixed form uv<wu<wu \le v < w \Rightarrow u < w (Complete ordered field (least-upper-bound property), Ordered field). Adding two strict inequalities: a<ba < b and c<dc < d give a+c<b+da + c < b + d (Order is preserved by adding a constant and by adding inequalities). Multiplying by a positive: for c>0c > 0, a<ba < b gives ac<bcac < bc (Sign rules for products and monotonicity of multiplication). Halving a positive: 1>01 > 0 (The multiplicative identity is positive), so 2:=1+1>02 := 1 + 1 > 0 because the positives are closed under addition (Ordered field), hence 21>02^{-1} > 0 (Inverses of positives are positive, and reciprocation reverses order) and η/2=η21>0\eta/2 = \eta \cdot 2^{-1} > 0 whenever η>0\eta > 0 (Sign rules for products and monotonicity of multiplication).

[L6]

The order on N\mathbb{N} is total, so any two indices K1,K2K_1, K_2 admit an index kk with kK1k \ge K_1 and kK2k \ge K_2 (\le is a linear order on N\mathbb{N}).

Proof

technique · contradiction
1.1

Suppose, for contradiction, that xyx \ne y.

assume-contra
2.1

Then xy0x - y \ne 0, so xy0|x - y| \ne 0 while xy0|x - y| \ge 0; by trichotomy xy>0|x - y| > 0, and hence xy/2>0|x - y|/2 > 0.

step 1.1L3L5
3.1

Choose a rational ε\varepsilon with 0<ε<xy/20 < \varepsilon < |x - y|/2; multiplying that inequality by 2>02 > 0 and using (xy/2)2=xy(|x - y|/2) \cdot 2 = |x - y| gives 2ε<xy2\varepsilon < |x - y|.

step 2.1L4L5algebrachoose
4.1

Since (xk)(x_k) converges to xx there is K1K_1 with xkx<ε|x_k - x| < \varepsilon for all kK1k \ge K_1, and since (xk)(x_k) converges to yy there is K2K_2 with xky<ε|x_k - y| < \varepsilon for all kK2k \ge K_2.

step 3.1L1
5.1

Fix an index kk with kK1k \ge K_1 and kK2k \ge K_2; then xy=(xxk)+(xky)xxk+xky=xkx+xky|x - y| = |(x - x_k) + (x_k - y)| \le |x - x_k| + |x_k - y| = |x_k - x| + |x_k - y|, while adding the two strict inequalities of step 4.1 gives xkx+xky<ε+ε=2ε|x_k - x| + |x_k - y| < \varepsilon + \varepsilon = 2\varepsilon; composing the non-strict inequality with the strict one yields xy<2ε|x - y| < 2\varepsilon.

step 4.1L2L3L5L6
6.1

Combining, 2ε<xy<2ε2\varepsilon < |x - y| < 2\varepsilon, so 2ε<2ε2\varepsilon < 2\varepsilon, which contradicts irreflexivity of the strict order.

step 3.1step 5.1L5
7.1

The assumption xyx \ne y is therefore untenable, so x=yx = y: a sequence of reals has at most one limit.

step 6.1discharge-contradiction

Remarks

  • Uniqueness is what licenses the notation limkxk\lim_{k} x_k and the phrase the limit. Without it the symbol would not denote. This library writes limkxk\lim_k x_k only for sequences already known to converge, exactly as it writes supS\sup S only for sets already known to have a supremum (Conventions: sup\sup \emptyset, unbounded sets, and the extended reals).

  • The proof uses only that R\mathbb{R} is an ordered field in which arbitrarily small positive rationals exist, that is, an Archimedean ordered field (Every complete ordered field is Archimedean). Completeness is not needed: limits are unique in Q\mathbb{Q} too, where many sequences fail to have one.

  • The hypothesis is genuinely about a single sequence having two limits. Two different sequences may of course share a limit, and a sequence with no limit at all is not excluded by anything here.

Depends on

Used by

Dependency tree · next 3 levels

Direct dependencies and their dependencies through the next three levels: 59 results over 27 levels. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, and this result sits at the bottom with a heavier outline. Click the chart to enlarge it.

Sources