How to Add a Noninteger Number of Terms: From Axioms to New Identities

Abstract

Starting from a small number of well-motivated axioms, we derive a unique definition of sums with a noninteger number of addends. These “fractional sums” have properties that generalize well-known classical sum identities in a natural way. We illustrate how fractional sums can be used to derive infinite sum and special functions identities; the corresponding proofs turn out to be particularly simple and intuitive.