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Empty sum

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with no terms evaluates to 0. Allowing a "sum" with only 1 or 0 terms reduces the number of cases to be considered in many mathematical formulas. Such "sums" are natural starting points in
388: 484:, as well as in algorithms. For these reasons, the "empty sum is zero" extension is standard practice in mathematics and computer programming (assuming the domain has a 424: 478: 451: 223: 196: 169: 231: 35: 93: 65: 600: 72: 655: 633: 50: 137:
where the number of terms is zero. The natural way to extend non-empty sums is to let the empty sum be the
79: 334: 61: 566: 493: 625: 481: 396: 504: 500: 456: 429: 201: 174: 147: 8: 660: 618: 86: 629: 596: 512: 138: 46: 571: 529: 649: 561: 489: 485: 122: 508: 134: 548:. The empty sum convention allows the zero-dimensional vector space 24: 115: 314:{\displaystyle s_{m}=\sum _{i=1}^{m}a_{i}=a_{1}+\cdots +a_{m}} 453:
with only one term evaluates to that one term, while a "sum"
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provided that we use the following natural convention:
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terms of the sequence. This satisfies the recurrence
234: 204: 177: 150: 617: 472: 445: 418: 382: 313: 217: 190: 163: 647: 593:Practical Foundations for Programming Languages 615: 552:={0} to have a basis, namely the empty set. 523: 51:introducing citations to additional sources 16:Summation where the number of terms is zero 595:. Cambridge University Press. p. 86. 225:, ... be a sequence of numbers, and let 41:Relevant discussion may be found on the 648: 590: 18: 499:For sums of other objects (such as 383:{\displaystyle s_{m}=s_{m-1}+a_{m}} 13: 14: 672: 536:is a linearly independent subset 34:relies largely or entirely on a 23: 609: 584: 1: 577: 532:, a basis of a vector space 488:). For the same reason, the 7: 620:Linear Algebra and Geometry 555: 544:is a linear combination of 540:such that every element of 518: 10: 677: 426:. In other words, a "sum" 113: 567:Iterated binary operation 524:Empty linear combinations 324:be the sum of the first 114:Not to be confused with 616:David M. Bloom (1979). 591:Harper, Robert (2016). 494:multiplicative identity 419:{\displaystyle s_{0}=0} 474: 447: 420: 384: 315: 268: 219: 192: 165: 656:Operations on numbers 475: 473:{\displaystyle s_{0}} 448: 446:{\displaystyle s_{1}} 421: 385: 316: 248: 220: 218:{\displaystyle a_{3}} 193: 191:{\displaystyle a_{2}} 166: 164:{\displaystyle a_{1}} 457: 430: 397: 335: 232: 202: 175: 148: 47:improve this article 492:is taken to be the 470: 443: 416: 380: 311: 215: 188: 161: 513:additive identity 139:additive identity 112: 111: 97: 668: 640: 639: 623: 613: 607: 606: 588: 482:induction proofs 479: 477: 476: 471: 469: 468: 452: 450: 449: 444: 442: 441: 425: 423: 422: 417: 409: 408: 389: 387: 386: 381: 379: 378: 366: 365: 347: 346: 320: 318: 317: 312: 310: 309: 291: 290: 278: 277: 267: 262: 244: 243: 224: 222: 221: 216: 214: 213: 197: 195: 194: 189: 187: 186: 170: 168: 167: 162: 160: 159: 107: 104: 98: 96: 55: 27: 19: 676: 675: 671: 670: 669: 667: 666: 665: 646: 645: 644: 643: 636: 614: 610: 603: 589: 585: 580: 558: 526: 521: 464: 460: 458: 455: 454: 437: 433: 431: 428: 427: 404: 400: 398: 395: 394: 374: 370: 355: 351: 342: 338: 336: 333: 332: 305: 301: 286: 282: 273: 269: 263: 252: 239: 235: 233: 230: 229: 209: 205: 203: 200: 199: 182: 178: 176: 173: 172: 155: 151: 149: 146: 145: 119: 108: 102: 99: 56: 54: 40: 28: 17: 12: 11: 5: 674: 664: 663: 658: 642: 641: 634: 608: 601: 582: 581: 579: 576: 575: 574: 572:Empty function 569: 564: 557: 554: 530:linear algebra 525: 522: 520: 517: 467: 463: 440: 436: 415: 412: 407: 403: 391: 390: 377: 373: 369: 364: 361: 358: 354: 350: 345: 341: 322: 321: 308: 304: 300: 297: 294: 289: 285: 281: 276: 272: 266: 261: 258: 255: 251: 247: 242: 238: 212: 208: 185: 181: 158: 154: 110: 109: 45:. Please help 31: 29: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 673: 662: 659: 657: 654: 653: 651: 637: 631: 627: 622: 621: 612: 604: 602:9781107029576 598: 594: 587: 583: 573: 570: 568: 565: 563: 562:Empty product 560: 559: 553: 551: 547: 543: 539: 535: 531: 516: 514: 510: 506: 502: 497: 495: 491: 490:empty product 487: 483: 465: 461: 438: 434: 413: 410: 405: 401: 375: 371: 367: 362: 359: 356: 352: 348: 343: 339: 331: 330: 329: 327: 306: 302: 298: 295: 292: 287: 283: 279: 274: 270: 264: 259: 256: 253: 249: 245: 240: 236: 228: 227: 226: 210: 206: 183: 179: 156: 152: 142: 140: 136: 132: 128: 124: 117: 106: 103:December 2017 95: 92: 88: 85: 81: 78: 74: 71: 67: 64: –  63: 59: 58:Find sources: 52: 48: 44: 38: 37: 36:single source 32:This article 30: 26: 21: 20: 619: 611: 592: 586: 549: 545: 541: 537: 533: 527: 498: 486:zero element 392: 325: 323: 143: 130: 126: 120: 100: 90: 83: 76: 69: 57: 33: 624:. pp.  509:polynomials 131:nullary sum 123:mathematics 62:"Empty sum" 661:0 (number) 650:Categories 635:0521293243 578:References 73:newspapers 360:− 296:⋯ 250:∑ 135:summation 127:empty sum 43:talk page 556:See also 519:Examples 505:matrices 116:Zero sum 501:vectors 133:, is a 87:scholar 632:  599:  89:  82:  75:  68:  60:  129:, or 125:, an 94:JSTOR 80:books 630:ISBN 597:ISBN 144:Let 66:news 528:In 121:In 49:by 652:: 628:. 626:45 515:. 507:, 503:, 496:. 198:, 171:, 141:. 638:. 605:. 550:V 546:B 542:V 538:B 534:V 466:0 462:s 439:1 435:s 414:0 411:= 406:0 402:s 376:m 372:a 368:+ 363:1 357:m 353:s 349:= 344:m 340:s 326:m 307:m 303:a 299:+ 293:+ 288:1 284:a 280:= 275:i 271:a 265:m 260:1 257:= 254:i 246:= 241:m 237:s 211:3 207:a 184:2 180:a 157:1 153:a 118:. 105:) 101:( 91:· 84:· 77:· 70:· 53:. 39:.

Index


single source
talk page
improve this article
introducing citations to additional sources
"Empty sum"
news
newspapers
books
scholar
JSTOR
Zero sum
mathematics
summation
additive identity
induction proofs
zero element
empty product
multiplicative identity
vectors
matrices
polynomials
additive identity
linear algebra
Empty product
Iterated binary operation
Empty function
ISBN
9781107029576
Linear Algebra and Geometry

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