A monotone sequence is a sequence (an)n≥1(a_n)_{n\ge 1} of such that either

  • an≤an+1a_n\le a_{n+1} for all nn (monotone increasing), or
  • an≥an+1a_n\ge a_{n+1} for all nn (monotone decreasing).
Remarks

A sequence can be viewed as a from N\mathbb N to R\mathbb R. Monotone sequences are central in the , which combines monotonicity with being or .

Examples
  • an=1−1na_n=1-\tfrac1n is monotone increasing.
  • an=1na_n=\tfrac1n is monotone decreasing.