TITLE: Find $\lim_{n\to\infty} \cos(\frac{\pi}{4}) \cos(\frac{\pi}{8})\ldots \cos(\frac{\pi}{2^n}) $
QUESTION [9 upvotes]: I already know that $$ a_n = \cos\left(\frac{\pi}{2^{n+1}}\right) = \overbrace{\frac{\sqrt{2+\sqrt{2+\ldots + \sqrt{2}}}}{2}}^{n\text{ roots}}$$
Also I know that  $$\lim_{n\to\infty}  2\cos\left(\frac{\pi}{2^n}\right) = 2
\text{ and if } a_n \xrightarrow {n\to\infty} a \text{ then } \sqrt[n]{a_1 a_2 \ldots a_n} \xrightarrow{n\to\infty} a $$
With that method I only got indeterminate form 
$$ \lim_{n\to\infty} \cos\left(\frac{\pi}{4}\right) \cos\left(\frac{\pi}{8}\right)\ldots \cos\left(\frac{\pi}{2^n}\right) = \Big(\frac{\sqrt[n]{a_1 a_2 \ldots a_n}}{2}\Big)^n = 1^\infty  $$
Anyone knows a working solution?

REPLY [4 votes]: What you are trying to proof is Viete's formula. What he did was trying to compare area's of regular polygons that are inscribed in a unit circle. The area of a regular polygon with $n$ sides is given by
$$ A_n = \frac12 n \sin\left(\frac\pi n\right)$$
If you compute now the ratio between two regular polygons, one with $2^n$ sides, and one with $2^{n-1}$ sides, then you get:
$$B_n=\frac{A_{2^{n-1}}}{A_{2^n}} = \frac{2^{n-1} \sin\left(\frac{\pi}{2^{n-1}}\right)}{2^{n} \sin\left(\frac{\pi}{2^{n}}\right)} = \cos\left(\frac{\pi}{2^{n}}\right)$$
This now implies that the product the OP tries to compute is equal to
$$C_n=B_3 B_4 ... B_n = \frac{A_4}{A_8}\cdot\frac{A_8}{A_{16}}\cdot\cdots\cdot\frac{A_{2^{n-1}}}{A_{2^n}}=\frac{A_4}{A_{2^n}}$$
Sine a regular polygon with an infinite amount of sides is equivalent to a circle, you have $$\lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}A_n=\pi$$. In essence, the complete product is nothing more than comparing the size of a circle with respect to its inscribed square. Hence,
$$\prod_{n=2}^\infty\cos\left(\frac{\pi}{2^n}\right)=\lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}C_n=\frac 2 \pi$$