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Base whose infinite power tower equals 2

Question

Suppose xxx⋅⋅⋅=2x^{x^{x^{\cdot^{\cdot^{\cdot}}}}}=2, an infinitely tall tower of exponents. What is xx?

Short answer

x=2x=\sqrt2. The exponent on the bottom xx is the whole tower again, so x2=2x^2=2. One can check the tower 22⋯\sqrt2^{\sqrt2^{\cdots}} converges, and to 22.

Adapted from Zhou, A Practical Guide to Quantitative Finance Interviews, sec. 2.2 Logic Reasoning, 'Infinite sequence', p.9; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.

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