Problem :
Find the sum of :
$$\sin^{-1}\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}+\sin^{-1}\frac{\sqrt{2}-1}{\sqrt{6}}+\sin^{-1}\frac{\sqrt{3}-\sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{12}}+\cdots$$
My approach :
Here the $n$'th term is given by :
$$t_n = \sin^{-1}\left[\frac{\sqrt{n}-\sqrt{n-1}}{\sqrt{n}\sqrt{n+1}}\right]$$
From now how to proceed further please suggest thanks….
Best Answer
This is not an independent answer but a response to Lord Soth's speculation of a geometric proof.
Consider two right-handed triangles $ABC$ and $ABD$ with base $1$ and heights $\sqrt{n}$ and $\sqrt{n-1}$. Let $\theta$ be the angle $\measuredangle CBD$. The area of the triangle $BCD$ can be computed in two ways:
Equate them gives us:
$$\sin \theta = \frac{\sqrt{n}-\sqrt{n-1}}{\sqrt{n}\sqrt{n+1}}$$
On the other hand,
$$\begin{align} \theta &= \measuredangle CBD = \measuredangle CBA - \measuredangle DBA\\ &= \sin^{-1}\frac{|AC|}{|BC|} - \sin^{-1}\frac{|AD|}{|BD|} = \sin^{-1}\sqrt{\frac{n}{n+1}} - \sin^{-1}\sqrt{\frac{n-1}{n}} \end{align}$$
We obtain
$$\sin^{-1}\left( \frac{\sqrt{n}-\sqrt{n-1}}{\sqrt{n}\sqrt{n+1}}\right) = \sin^{-1}\sqrt{\frac{n}{n+1}} - \sin^{-1}\sqrt{\frac{n-1}{n}}$$
and we have turned the original series into a telescoping one. The partial sum of the first $n$ terms of original series becomes the angle $\measuredangle ABC$. When $n \to \infty$, the line $BC$ becomes vertical and this geometrically justify why the limit of the series is $\frac{\pi}{2}$.