fundamental sequence

noun

, Mathematics.

1. an infinite sequence, x 1 , x 2 , …, whose terms are points in Ek, in which there exists a point y such that the limit as n goes to infinity of xn = y if and only if for every ε>0, there exists a number N such that i > N and j > N implies | xi − xj |< ε.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fundamental sequence¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

"By fighting when she did, England rushed the Germans' hands by at least five years and upset the whole fundamental sequence on which the Nazis intended to operate."

From Time Magazine Archive