TITLE: Prove that for every $n\in \mathbb{N}^{+}$, there exist a unique $x_{n}\in[\frac{2}{3},1]$ such that $f_{n}(x_{n})=0$
QUESTION [10 upvotes]: Let $f_{n}(x)=-1+x+\dfrac{x^2}{2^2}+\dfrac{x^3}{3^2}+\cdots+\dfrac{x^n}{n^2}$,
(1) Prove that for every $n\in \mathbb{N}^{+}$, then there exist unique $x_{n}\in[\frac{2}{3},1]$ such that
$f_{n}(x_{n})=0$
(2) Show that  the sequence $(x_{n})$ of (1) is such that
$$0<x_{n}-x_{n+p}<\dfrac{1}{n}$$
for all $p\in \mathbb{N}$.
(3):$x_{n}=A+\dfrac{B}{n}+\dfrac{C}{n^2}+O(\dfrac{1}{n^2})$, find $A,B,C$?
My attempts :
For $(1)$, I have prove it :
$$f_{n}(1)=-1+1+\dfrac{1}{2^2}+\cdots+\dfrac{1}{n^2}>0,$$
\begin{align}
f_{n}(\frac{2}{3})&=-1+\dfrac{2}{3}+\cdots+\dfrac{(\dfrac{2}{3})^n}{n^2}\\
&\le-\dfrac{1}{3}+\dfrac{1}{4}\sum_{k=2}^{n}\left(\dfrac{2}{3}\right)^k\\
&=-\dfrac{1}{3}\cdot\left(\dfrac{2}{3}\right)^{n-1}<0
\end{align}
and
$$f'_{n}(x)=1+\dfrac{x}{2}+\cdots+\dfrac{x^{n-1}}{n}>0$$
But for $(2)$, I  have methods:
since
$$x>0, f_{n+1}(x)=f_{n}(x)+\dfrac{x^{n+1}}{(n+1)^2}>f_{n}(x)$$
so $$f_{n+1}(x_{n})>f_{n}(x_{n})=f_{n+1}(x_{n+1})=0$$
since $f_{n+1}(x)$ is increasing, so $x_{n+1}<x_{n}$
since
$$f_{n}(x_{n})=-1+x_{n}+\dfrac{x^2_{n}}{2^2}+\cdots+\dfrac{x^n_{n}}{n^2}=0$$
$$f_{n+p}(x_{n})=-1+x_{n+p}+\dfrac{x^2_{n+p}}{2^2}+\cdots+\dfrac{x^{n+p}_{n+p}}{(n+p)^2}=0$$
and use $0<x_{n+p}<x_{n}\le 1$ we have
\begin{align}
x_{n}-x_{n+p}&=\sum_{k=2}^{n}\dfrac{x^k_{n+p}-x^k_{n}}{k^2}+\sum_{k=n+1}^{n+p}\dfrac{x^k_{n+p}}{k^2}\le\sum_{k=n+1}^{n+p}\dfrac{x^k_{n+p}}{k^2}\\
&\le\sum_{k=n+1}^{n+p}\dfrac{1}{k^2}<\sum_{k=n+1}^{n+p}\dfrac{1}{k(k-1)}=\dfrac{1}{n}-\dfrac{1}{n+p}<\dfrac{1}{n}
\end{align}
But for part $(3)$  I can't prove it,Thank you everyone can  help,and for part $(2)$ have other nice methods?

REPLY [3 votes]: The $f_n$ converge to $f(x) = f_\infty(x) = -1 + \displaystyle \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{x^k}{k^2} $ = Li_2$(x)-1$ (the dilogarithm, minus $1$) with remainder terms $R_n(x) = \displaystyle \sum_{k=n}^{\infty} \frac{x^k}{k^2}$.   Then: 

$x_n$ is a decreasing sequence that converges to $A \in (0,1)$ with $f(A)=0$, the inverse dilogarithm of $1$.
The inverse of $f$ has a power series expansion near $0$ with real coefficients and a positive radius of convergence (due to analyticity of $f$ for $|z|<1$ and nonzero derivative of $f$ on $(0,1)$), $$ f^{-1}(z)= A + \beta z + \gamma z^2 + \dots$$ where $\beta$ and $\gamma$ can be calculated from $A$, $f'(A) = -\log(1-A)$, and $f''(A)=\frac{1}{1-A}$ by formal inversion of series.
$f(x_{n}) = R_{n+1}(x)$ so that $x_n = f^{-1}(R_{n+1}(x_n))$ once $n$ is large enough that $R_{n+1}$ is in the circle of convergence.
$R_p(x)$ is between $\frac{x^p}{p^2}$ and $\frac{x^p}{p^2} (1-x)^{-1}$ by comparing terms and is within a factor of $1 + O(\frac{1}{p})$ of the upper bound for constant positive $x < 1$
From the formula in (3), $\quad x_{n-1} $ differs from $A$ by $O(x_n^n / {n^2}$) which is much smaller than a polynomial in $\frac{1}{n}$.  This difference is dominated, for large $n$ and any positive $u$,  by $(A+u)^n / {n^2}$ which implies that the asymptotic expansion of $x_n$ in powers of $\frac{1}{n}$ with constant coefficients is $A + \frac{0}{n} + \frac{0}{n^2} + \frac{0}{n^3} + \cdots$.  Better than that, to any finite number of terms in the power series of $f^{-1}(z)$ there is no asymptotic difference between use of $x_n$ and $A$ in the formulas, and the first two terms of the asymptotics are $$x_{n} = f^{-1}(R_{n+1}(A)) = A + \beta \frac{A^{n+1}}{(1-A)(n+1)^2} + O(R^2) = A + (\frac{\beta A}{1-A}) \frac{A^n}{n^2}$$ plus terms of higher order in $A^n$ or $(1/n))$.

Conclusions: 

The answer to the question as written is $B=C=0$ and $A = ($ inverse_ dilogarithm of $1$) $= 0.761542944532045588068051872410222873413830030301381136443779....$, but the true magnitude of $(x_n - A)$ is about $\frac{A^n}{n^2}$.  Exactly as foreseen in the earlier answer from Hagen von Eitzen.
$\beta = \frac{1}{\log(\frac{1}{1-A})}$ 
going to order $\gamma z^2$ looks challenging.