TITLE: Find sum of infinite anharmonic(?) series
QUESTION [11 upvotes]: I need help with this:
$$
\frac{1}{1\cdot2\cdot3\cdot4}+\frac{1}{2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5}+\frac{1}{3\cdot4\cdot5\cdot6}\dots
$$
I don't know how to count sum of this series. It is similar to standard anharmonic series so it should have similar solution. However I can't work it out.

REPLY [6 votes]: Using Euler's Beta function:
$$\begin{eqnarray*}\sum_{k=1}^{+\infty}\frac{1}{k(k+1)(k+2)(k+3)}&=&\sum_{k\geq 1}\frac{\Gamma(k)}{\Gamma(k+4)}=\frac{1}{\Gamma(4)}\sum_{k\geq 1}B(k,4)\\&=&\frac{1}{6}\sum_{k\geq 1}\int_{0}^{1}(1-x)^3 x^{k-1}\,dx\\&=&\frac{1}{6}\int_{0}^{1}(1-x)^2\,dx\\&=&\frac{1}{6}\int_{0}^{1}x^2\,dx = \color{red}{\frac{1}{18}}.\end{eqnarray*}$$
Using creative (not so much) telescoping, for $a_k=\frac{1}{k(k+1)(k+2)}$ we have $a_{k}-a_{k+1}=\frac{3}{k(k+1)(k+2)(k+3)}$, so $$\sum_{k\geq 1}\frac{1}{k(k+1)(k+2)(k+3)}=\frac{a_1}{3}=\frac{1}{3\cdot 3!}=\frac{1}{18}.$$