\(\sup\big(\{\frac{1}{n}: n \in \mathbf{N}\} \big) = 1.\)


For the definitions of an upper bound and the least upper bound of a set, see this.
For the Archimedean Principle, see this

Proof:

Let \(A = \{\frac{1}{n}: n \in \mathbf{N}\}\). To prove that \(\sup(A)=1\), we will show that 1 is an upper bound on \(A\) and that 1 is the least upper bound on \(A\) using lemma 1.3.8. First, to prove that \(1\) is an upper bound, note that for all \(n \in \mathbf{N}\), \(n \geq 1\). Divide both sides by \(n\) to get \(1 \geq \frac{1}{n}\). Therefore, 1 is an upper bound on \(A\).

Next, to show that \(0\) is the least upper bound, we need to find an element \(x \in A\) such that for any \(\epsilon > 0\),

$$ \begin{align*} x > 1 - \epsilon. \end{align*} $$

This means that we’ve found an element in \(A\) that results in \(1\) no longer being an upper bound. Choose \(x = 1 \in \mathbf{N}\) to be the element. We know that \(1 \geq 1 - \epsilon\) for any \(\epsilon > 0\). Therefore, \(1\) is the least upper bound of \(A\). \(\blacksquare\)

References: