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Mathematics Notes

The document explains sequences and series, defining sequences as ordered lists of numbers that can be infinite or finite. It describes explicit and recursive formulas for generating terms in a sequence, along with examples illustrating arithmetic sequences and the concept of common difference. Additionally, it provides examples of how to determine if a sequence is arithmetic by checking if the differences between consecutive terms are constant.

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5 views2 pages

Mathematics Notes

The document explains sequences and series, defining sequences as ordered lists of numbers that can be infinite or finite. It describes explicit and recursive formulas for generating terms in a sequence, along with examples illustrating arithmetic sequences and the concept of common difference. Additionally, it provides examples of how to determine if a sequence is arithmetic by checking if the differences between consecutive terms are constant.

Uploaded by

sonnyday830
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Sequences and Series

 A sequence is an ordered list of numbers called terms, and these terms


are often arranged in a pattern.
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, … 1, 3, 9, 27, …
2, -4, 8, -16, … 243, -81, 27, -9, …
 The “…” you see after each last term in the example above are called
ellipses, and it indicates that the sequence is an infinite sequence and
therefore continues without end, a finite sequence, however, has a last
term.

Example 1: The sequence is 3, 6, 9, 12, … can be defined by the function x, shown below.
f(x) = 3x, where n = 1, 2, 3, …
 x 1 2 3 4 5 Domain
 f(x) 3 6 9 12 15 Range

 A formula that defines the nth term of a sequence is called an explicit


formula. Each term of the sequence is found by substituting the
number of the term for x.

Example 2: Write the first five terms of the sequences defined by the formula:
an + -2n+1
Solution: Evaluate an = -2n+1 for values of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
n 1 2 3 4 5
an -1 -3 -5 -7 -9

 A sequence can also be defined by a recursive formula. One or more


previous terms are used to generate the next term. An example is:
2 is a1 = -1 and an = an – 1 – 2 where n > 2
an = an – 1 – 2 and a1 = - 1
a2 = a1 – 2 = -1 – 2 = -3
a3 = a2 – 2 = -3 – 2 = -5
a4 = a3 – 2 = -5 – 2 = -7

Example 3: Write the first five terms of the sequence defined by formula:
a1 = 4 and an = 3an – 1 +5 where n > 0
Solution:
an = 3an – 1 + 5 and a1 = 4
a2 = 3a1 + 5 = 3(4) + 5 = 17
The first five terms of the
sequence is 4, 17, 56, 173, and
524.
a3 = 3a2 + 5 = 3(17) + 5 = 56
a4 = 3a3 + 5 = 3(56) + 5 = 173
a5 = 3a4 + 5 = 3(173) + 5 = 524

 A sequence in which each term after the first is obtained by adding a


fixed number to the previous term is called an arithmetic sequence.
 The fixed number is called the common difference and is denoted by
the letter d.

Example 4: Determine if each sequence is arithmetic. If yes, find the common difference.
a. 7, 10, 13, 16, … b. 2, 5, 10, 17, …
Solution: Find the common difference.
a. a2 – a1 = 10 – 7 = 3 b. a2 – a1 = 5 – 2 = 3
a3 – a2 = 13 – 10 = 3 a3 – a2 = 10 – 5 = 5
a4 – a3 = 16 – 13 = 3 a4 – a = 17 – 10 = 7

Each difference is 3, so the The differences are not constant,


sequence is arithmetic. so the sequence is not arithmetic.

Arithmetic Sequences

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