Numbers of the form sin(n) get arbitrarily close to every real value from -1 to 1.
Consider the
integers mod(2pi). Equivalently, we can
consider the points (cos n, sin n) on the unit circle (a.k.a. using the
"wrapping function"). Because
we have an infinite set of points in a compact set, there must be an
accumulation point.
For any epsilon >
0, we can find distinct integers m and n such that (cos m, sin m) and
(cos n, sin n) are less than
epsilon apart on the circle, so (cos(m-n), sin(m-n)) is within epsilon of
(1,0). Then (by say the Archimedean principle), every point on the unit circle is within
epsilon of some integer multiple of (m-n) wrapped around the unit circle . Thus the points of the form (cos k, sin k) form a dense subset of the unit circle. In particular, numbers of the form sin(k) form a dense subset of [-1,1].
A slightly different
argument for density of sin(n) depends on the following lemma.
Lemma: If x is irrational, then the additive group Z + xZ
is dense in R.
If we accept the
lemma, then the additive group Z + (2pi)Z is dense in R, so the points (cos t, sin
t) for t in Z + (2pi)Z must be dense in the unit circle. But (cos (n+m2pi), sin (n+m2pi)) = (cos n ,
sin n), so (cos n , sin n) is dense in the circle.
To prove the lemma,
consider the contrapositive and assume that Z + xZ is discrete. Then Z + xZ must be cyclic: Z + xZ = dZ for some real number d. Because Z is contained in dZ, there must be
some integer n so that 1 = nd, hence d = 1/n is rational. And then for some m, 1+x = m/n, so x is
rational.
And the converse of
the lemma is also true, because of x = m/n is rational, then Z + xZ = 1/n Z.
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