Govt.D. B. Girls P.G.

(Autonomous) College,
Raipur(C.G.)
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
ASSIGNMENT
COURSE NAME : INTRODUCTION TO LATEX
(Skill Enhancement Course)

TITLE: SEQUENCE AND SERIES

2 April 2025

Submitted By:
Name : Puja Yadav
Class : BSc Fourth Semester
Roll Number : 23-SM-2064

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Contents
1 Introduction 3
2 Sequence 3
2.1 Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 Types of sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2.1 Arithmetic Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2.2 Geometric Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2.3 Harmonic Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.2.4 Fibonacci Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.3 Bounded above and Bounded below . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3 Series 6
3.1 Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2 Types of series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.1 Arithmetic Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.2 Geometric Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.3 Harmonic Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Series Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.4 General Representation of a Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.5 Types of series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.5.1 Finite series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.5.2 Infinite series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.6 Convergent Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.7 Divergent Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.8 Testing for Convergence or Divergence of a Series . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.8.1 p-Series Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.8.2 Comparison Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4 Geometric Progression (G. P.) 10
4.1 What is Geometric Sequence? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.2 Properties of Geometric Progression (GP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.3 Geometric Progression Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5 Difference Between Sequence and Series 12

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 Sequence and Series
”Natural numbers are the product of human spirit. – DEDEKIND”

1 Introduction
Sequence and series are the basic topics in arithmetic. An itemized collection of
elements in which repetitions of any kind are allowed is known as a sequence, whereas
a series is the sum of all elements. An arithmetic progression is one of the common
examples of sequence and [Link] mathematics, the word ’sequence’ is used in much
the same way as in ordinary English. When we say that a collection of objects is
listed in a sequence, we usually mean that the collection is ordered in such a way
that it has an identified first member, second member, third, and so on.
• In short, a sequence is a list of items/objects which have been arranged in a
sequential way.
• A series can be highly generalized as the sum of all terms in a sequence. However,
there must be a definite relationship between all terms in the sequence.
For example,a population of humans or bacteria at different times for a sequence.
The amount of money deposited in a bank, over a number of years, form a sequence.
The depreciated values of a certain commodity occur in a sequence. Sequences
have important applications in several spheres of human activities.
Sequences following specific patterns are called progressions. In a previous class,we
have studied arithmetic progression(AP). In this chapter,discussing more about A.P.;
arithmetic mean, geometric mean, relationship between A.M. and G.M., special series
in forms of sum to n terms of consecutive natural numbers,sum to n terms of squares
of natural numbers, and sum to n terms of cubes of natural numbers will also be
studied.

2 Sequence
Consider the following examples:
Assuming that there is a generation gap of 30 years, we are asked to find the
number of ancestors, i.e., parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc., that a
person might have over 300 years.
Here, the total number of generations = 300 30
= 10 The number of persons’ ancestors
for the first, second, third, . . . , tenth generations are
2, 4, 8, 16, 32, . . . , 1024. These numbers form what we call a sequence.

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 Consider the successive quotients that we obtain in the division of 10 by 3 at
different steps of division. In this process, we get 3, 3.3, 3.33, 3.333, ... and so on.
These quotients also form a sequence. The various numbers occurring in a sequence
are called its terms. We denote the terms of a sequence by a1 , a2 , a3 , ..., an , ...,etc.
The subscripts denote the position of the term. The nth term is the number at the
nth position of the sequence and is denoted by an . The term nth is also called the
general term of the sequence.
Thus, the terms of the sequence of persons ancestors mentioned above are:

a1 = 2, a2 = 4, a3 = 8, ..., a10 = 1024

Similarly, in the example of successive quotients:
a1 = 3, a2 = 3.3, a3 = 3.33, . . . , a6 = 3.33333

2.1 Definition
Definition: A sequence is a set or list of elements (such as numbers, letters,
or objects) arranged in a specific order, where order matters and repeti-
tions are allowed. Here is a more detailed explanation.
Order Matters: The position of each element within the sequence is significant;
changing the order creates a different sequence.
Repetitions Allowed: Unlike sets, the same element can appear multiple times in
a sequence.
Example 2.1. 1. Numbers: 2, 4, 6, 8, . . . (a sequence of even numbers)
2. Letters: A, B, C, D..
3. Events: The sequence of events that led to a car accident.
Mathematical Context: In mathematics, a sequence is often defined as a func-
tion from the set of natural numbers (1, 2, 3,. . . ) to a set of elements.
Terms: Each element in a sequence is called a term.
Series: A series is the sum of the terms in a sequence.
A sequence containing a finite number of terms is called a finite sequence. For
example, a sequence of ancestors is a finite sequence since it contains 10 terms (a
fixed number).
A sequence is called infinite if it is not a finite sequence. For example, the sequence
of successive quotients mentioned above is an infinite sequence, infinite in the sense
that it never ends.
Often, it is possible to express the rule which yields the various terms of a sequence
in terms of an algebraic formula. Consider, for instance, the sequence of even natural
numbers 2, 4, 6, . . .

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 Here, a1 = 2 = 2 × 1, a2 = 4 = 2 × 2,
a3 = 6 = 2 × 3, a4 = 8 = 2 × 4,
.... .... .... .... .... ....
.... .... .... .... .... ....
a2 3 = 46 = 2 × 23, a2 4 = 48 = 2 × 24, and so on.
In fact, we see that the term nth of this sequence can be written as an = 2n, where
n is a natural number. Similarly, in the sequence of odd natural numbers 1, 3, 5, . . . ,
the term nth is given by the formula
an = 2n − 1, where n is a natural number.
In some cases, an arrangement of numbers such as 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, . . . has no visible
pattern, but the sequence is generated by the recurrence relation given by:
a1 = a2 = 1
a3 = a1 + a2
an−2 + an−1 , > 2
This sequence is called the Fibonacci sequence.
In the sequence of primes 2,3,5,7,. . . , we find that there is no formula for the nth
prime. Such a sequence can only be described by a verbal description.
In every sequence, we should not expect that its terms will necessarily be given
by a specific formula. However, we expect a theoretical scheme or a rule to generate
the terms a1 , a2 , a3 , ..., an , ..., .. in succession. In view of the above, a sequence can be
regarded as a function whose domain is the set of natural numbers or some subset
of it. Sometimes, we use the functional notation a(n) for an .

2.2 Types of sequence

• Arithmetic Sequences
• Geometric Sequences
• Harmonic Sequences
• Fibonacci Numbers

2.2.1 Arithmetic Sequences

A sequence in which every term is created by adding or subtracting a definite number

from the preceding number is an arithmetic sequence.

2.2.2 Geometric Sequences

A sequence in which every term is obtained by multiplying or dividing a definite

number by the preceding number is known as a geometric sequence.

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2.2.3 Harmonic Sequences

A series of numbers is said to be in harmonic sequence if the reciprocals of all elements

of the sequence form an arithmetic sequence.

2.2.4 Fibonacci Numbers

Fibonacci numbers form an interesting sequence of numbers in which each element

is obtained by adding two preceding elements, and the sequence starts with 0 and 1.
The sequence is defined as F0 = 0andF1 = 1andFn = Fn−1 + Fn−2

2.3 Bounded above and Bounded below

A sequence is bounded above if there is some number N such that an ≤ N for every
n, and bounded below if there is some number N such that an ≥ N for every n. If
a sequence is bounded above and bounded below, then it is bounded. If a sequence
an ∞
n=0 is increasing or not decreasing, it is bounded below (by a0 ), and if it is de-
creasing or not increasing, it is bounded above (by a0 ). Finally, with all this new
terminology, we can state an important theorem.
Theorem 1. If a sequence is bounded and monotonic, then it converges.

3 Series
Let a1 , a2 , a3 , ...an be a given sequence. Then, the expression
a1 + a2 + a3 + .... + ...an + ...
is called the series associated with the given [Link] series is finite or infi-
nite. depending on whether the given sequence is finite or infinite. Series are often
represented in P
compact form, called sigma notation, using the Greek letter (sigma) as means
of indicating the P summation involved. Thus, the series a1 + a2 + a3 + ... + an is
abbreviated as nk=1 ak

3.1 Definition
A series is the sum of the terms of a sequence.

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3.2 Types of series
3.2.1 Arithmetic Series

A series in which the difference between consecutive terms is constant (also known
as a common difference).
Example 3.1. 2 + 5 + 8 + 11 + . . . (The common difference is 3)

3.2.2 Geometric Series

A series where each term is found by multiplying the previous term by a constant
(also known as a common ratio).
Example 3.2. 3 + 6 + 12 + 24 + . . . (The common ratio is 2)

3.2.3 Harmonic Series

A series where the reciprocals of the terms form an arithmetic sequence.

1
Example 3.3. 2
+ 15 + 18 + 11
1
+ . . . ( 12 + 15 + 18 + 11
1
+ . . . reciprocals form an arithmetic
sequence)

3.3 Series Number

A series may contain a number of terms in the form of numerical, functions, quanti-
ties, etc. When a series is given, it indicates the symbolized sum, not the sum itself.
For example, 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 12 is a series with six terms. To find the sum
of these numbers, we use the phrase’sum of a series’, which means that the number
that results from adding the terms of the series, the sum of the series is 42.

3.4 General Representation of a Series

Based on the pattern of terms in the series, we can define the general term of that
series. In the above example, the general term is an = 2nand the sum of this series
is
Pgiven by: P
6 6
n−1 an = n−1 a2n = 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 12]
However, we can classify the series as finite and infinite on the basis of the number
of terms in it. These are explained below along with the formula, examples, and
properties.

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3.5 Types of series
3.5.1 Finite series

A series with a countable number of terms is called a finite series.

if a1 + a2 + a3 + · · · + an is a series with n terms and is a finite series containing n
terms.
Thus,
P Sn is the sum of the series and is denoted as:
Sn = an
In addition,we can define the sum of a specific number of terms. These are ex-
pressed as:
S1 = a1
S2 = a1 + a2
S3 = a1 + a − 2 + a3
....
Sn = a1 + a2 + a3 + · · · + an

3.5.2 Infinite series

A series with an infinite number of terms is called an infinite series. This is expressed
as:
P∞
i=1 = a1 + a2 + a3 + a4 + · · · + an + . . .
We cannot effectively carry the infinite string of additions mentioned by a series.
Also, we can represent the series with a limit so that the set of terms and their finite
sums are sometimes possible to assign a value to a string, called the sum of the series.
If the limit exists, then its value is the limit as n tends to infinity the finite sums of
the
P∞n first terms of the Pseries, called the nth partial sums of the series.
n
i=1 ai = limn→∞ = i=1 ai
A series is called convergent or summable if this limit exists, which means the se-
quence is summable. Otherwise, the series is called divergent series. In the above
representation, the limit is called the sum of the series.
Remark. When the series is used, it refers to the indicated sum not to the sum
itself.
For example, 1 + 3 + 5 + 7is a finite series with four terms. When we use the
phrase, ’sum of a series’, we will mean the number that results from adding the terms
1 + 3 + 5 + 7, the sum of the series is 16.

3.6 Convergent Series

• A series is considered convergent if the sequence of its partial sums approaches
a finite limit as the number of terms in the sum increases infinitely.

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 • This means that as you add more and more terms of the series, the sum gets
closer and closer to a specific real number.
• For example, the geometric series 1 + 12 + 14 + . . . converges to 2.

3.7 Divergent Series

• A series is considered divergent if the sequence of its partial sums does not
approach a finite limit.
• This can happen in a few ways:
– The partial sums can grow infinitely (either to positive or negative infinity).
– The partial sums can oscillate without settling on a specific value.
• For example,the series 1 + 2 + 3 + . . . diverges to infinity.

3.8 Testing for Convergence or Divergence of a Series

Many of the series you come will fall across into one of several basic types. Recog-
nizing these types will help you decide which tests or strategies will be most useful
in finding whether a series is convergent or divergent.

3.8.1 p-Series Test

P∞ 1
n=1 np is . . .
• convergent if p > 1
• divergent if p ≤ 1
Example 3.4. ∞ 1
P
n=1 n2 +n
Solution: pick bn = n12
an = n21+n ≤ n12 ,and
lim∞ 1 ∞
n=1 n2 convegrges,so by limn=1
1
n2 +n

3.8.2 Comparison Test

(Warning! This onlyP works if an and n b are always positive.)

Consider a series bn so that the ratio abnn cancels the dominant terms in the nu-
P
merator and denominator of an . If you know whether converges or not, try using
the limit comparison test.
• If an ≤ bn for all n, and
P P
bn is convergent, then an is convergent.

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 • If an ≥ bn for all n, and
P P
bn is divergent, then an is divergent.
Example 3.5. ∞ 1
P
n=1 2n −1

solution: pick 21n (geometric)

1 2n
lim∞ an
n=1 bn = limn→∞ 2n −1 1 =limn→∞
1
1− 21n
1>0
limn→∞ 21n is converges, so lim∞ 1
n=1 2n −1 is convergent.
We now consider some examples.
Example 3.6. Write the first three terms in each of the following sequences defined
by the following: (1)an = 2n + 5 (2)an = n−34
Solution:
1. Here an = 2n + 5
Substituting n = 1, 2, 3, we get a1 = 2(1) + 5 = 7, a2 = 9, a3 = 11.
Therefore, the required terms are 7, 9 and 11.
n−3 1−3 −1 −1
2. Here an = 4
. Thus a1 = 4
= 2
,a2 = 4
,a3 =0
Example 3.7. What is the 20th term of the sequence defined by to:
an = (n − 1)(2 − n)(3 + n)?
solution: Putting n = 20, we obtain a20 = (20 − 1)(2 − 20)(3 + 20) =
19 × (−18) × (23) = −7866.
Example 3.8. Let the sequence an be defined as follows:
a1 = 1,an = an−1 + 2, f or n ≥ 2
Find first five terms and write corresponding series.
solution: We have a1 = 1, a2 = a1 + 2 = 1 + 2 = 3, a3 = a2 + 2 = 3 + 2 = 5,
a4 = a3 + 2 = 5 + 2 = 7,a5 = a4 + 2 = 7 + 2 = 9.
Hence, the first five terms of the sequence are 1,3,5,7 and 9.
The corresponding series is 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 + . . .

4 Geometric Progression (G. P.)

In math’s, Geometric Progression (GP) is a type of sequence where each succeeding
term is produced by multiplying each preceding term by a fixed number, which is
called a common ratio. This progression is also known as a geometric sequence of
numbers that follow a pattern. Also, learn arithmetic progression here. The common
ratio multiplied here to each term to get the next term is a nonzero number. An
example of a geometric sequence is 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, . . . , where the common ratio
is 2.

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4.1 What is Geometric Sequence?
A geometric progression or a geometric sequence is the sequence in which each term
is varied by another by a common ratio. The next term of the sequence is produced
when we multiply a constant (which is non-zero) to the preceding term. It is repre-
sented by:
a, ar, ar2 , ar3 , ar4 and so on.
Where a is the first term and r is the common ratio. Note: be noted that when we
divide any succeeding term from its preceding term, then we get the value equal to
the common ratio.
Suppose, we divide the 3rd term by the 2nd term we get:
ar2
ar
=r
in the same way
ar3
ar2
=r
ar4
ar3
=r

4.2 Properties of Geometric Progression (GP)

Some of the important properties of GP are listed below:
• Three non-zero terms a, b, c are in GP if and only if b2 = ac
• In a GP,
Three consecutive terms can be taken as ar ,a,ar
Four consecutive terms can be taken as aa3 , ar ,ar,ar3
Five consecutive terms can be taken as ra2 , ar ,a,ar,ar2
• In a finite GP, the product of the terms equidistant from the beginning and the
end is the same
That means, t1 .tn = t2 .tn−1 = t3 .tn−2 = ....
• If each term of a GP is multiplied or divided by a non-zero constant, then the
resulting sequence is also a GP with the same common ratio.
• The product and quotient of two GP’s is again a GP.
• If each term of a GP is raised to the power by the same non-zero quantity, the
resultant sequence is also a GP.

4.3 Geometric Progression Formula

Sum to n terms of a G.P.
Here is the nformula:
−1)
Sn = a(rr−1

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5 Difference Between Sequence and Series

Sequence Series
Set of elements that follow a pattern Sum of elements of the sequence
Order of elements is important Order of elements is not so important
Finite sequence: 1,2,3,4,5 Finite series: 1+2+3+4+5
Infinite sequence: 1,2,3,4,. . . . . . Infinite Series:1+2+3+4+. . . . . .

Table 1: Comparison Between Sequence and Series

Summary
• By a sequence, we mean an arrangement of numbers in
definite order according to some rule. Also we define a
sequence as a function whose domain is the set of natural
numbers or some subsets of the type 1, 2, 3,. . . ,k. A
sequence containing a finite number of terms is called a
finite sequence. A sequence is called infinite if it is not
a finite sequence.
• Let a1, a2, a3, . . . be the sequence, then the sum ex-
pressed as a1 + a2 + a3 + . . . is called series. A series is
called finite series if it has finite number of terms.
• A sequence is said to be a geometric progression or GP,
if the ratio of any term to its preceding term is same
throughout. This constant factor is called the common
ratio. Usually, we denote the first term of a G.P. by a
and its common ratio by r. The general or the nth term
of G.P. is given by an = arn − 1.

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 The sum Sn of the first n terms of G.P. is given by:
rn −1 1−rn
Sn = r−1 or 1−r ,if r ̸= 1

References
[1] National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Mathematics
- Class 11, Chapter: Sequence and Series, 2024.
[2] BYJU’S, Sequences and Series,
Accessed on: March 31, 2025.
[3] Cuemath, Sequences and Series,
Accessed on: March 31, 2025.

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