9.

5 Testing Convergence at Endpoints

Petrified Forest National Park,

Arizona
Photo by Vickie Kelly, 2007 Greg Kelly, Hanford High School, Richland, Washington
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Photo by Vickie Kelly, 2007 Greg Kelly, Hanford High School, Richland, Washington
Remember: The Ratio Test:

an 1
If  an is a series with positive terms and lim L
n  a
n

then:

The series converges if L 1 .

The series diverges if L 1 .

The test is inconclusive if L 1.


This section in the book presents several other tests or
techniques to test for convergence, and discusses
some specific convergent and divergent series.


 Nth Root Test:

If a n is a series with positive terms and lim n an L

n 

then:

The series converges if L 1 .

Note that the
The series diverges if L 1 . rules are the
same as for
the Ratio Test.
The test is inconclusive if L 1.

example:

n2

n 1 2
n

 
2 n 2 2
n n lim n n 2
 lim n
n
n
n
 n  n 
2 2
?


 1
n
lim n lim n
n 
1
formula #104
e n  1

lim n n
n  0
e
e
lim ln
n 
 1
nn
1
1
lim ln n
e n  n
formula #103
ln n
lim Indeterminate, so we use L’Hôpital’s Rule
e n  n

example:

n2

n 1 2
n

 
2 n 2 2
n n lim n n 2
 lim n
n
n
n
 n  n 
2 2
1 2
1 ?
n 2
n
lim
n  2

1

2
 it converges


  n
2
another example:

n 1 n 2

n
2  2
n

2 n 2
n n

2 2
lim
n  n
n 2
 2
1
 it diverges


Remember that when we first studied integrals, we used a
summation of rectangles to approximate the area under a
curve:

This leads to:

The Integral Test

If  an  is a positive sequence and an  f n  where
f n  is a continuous, positive decreasing function, then:


a


n N
n and  f  x dx
N
both converge or both diverge.

 
1
Example 1: Does n
n 1 n
converge?

3
 1 b  1 b
x
1
x
dx lim  x
b  1
2
dx lim
b   2x

2
1

 2 
lim   2 2
b 
 b 
Since the integral converges,
the series must converge.

(but not necessarily to 2.)


 p-series Test

1 1 1 1

n 1 n
p
 p  p  p  
1 2 3

converges if p  1 , diverges if p 1 .

We could show this with the integral test.

If this test seems backward after the ratio and nth root
tests, remember that larger values of p would make the
denominators increase faster and the terms decrease
faster.

the harmonic series:


1 1 1 1 1

n 1 n
     
1 2 3 4
diverges.

(It is a p-series with p=1.)

It diverges very slowly, but it diverges.

Because the p-series is so easy to evaluate, we use it

to compare to other series.


 Limit Comparison Test

If an  0 and bn  0 for all n  N ( N a positive integer)

an
If lim c 0  c  
n  b
, then both an and bn
n converge or both diverge.

an
If lim 0
n  b
, then an converges if b n converges.
n

an
If lim 
n  b
, then an diverges if  b diverges.
n
n

Example 3a: 3 5 7 9 
2n  1
     2
4 9 16 25 n 1 n  1

2n 2
When n is large, the function behaves like:
2

n n
2n  1
2 1 an n  12
2n  1 n
 lim lim lim
n n n  b
n
n  1 n  
n  1
2

n
harmonic series
2n 2  n
lim 2 2 1
Since 
n   n  2n  1
n diverges, the
series diverges. 
 
Example 3b: 1 1 1 1 1
     n
1 3 7 15 n 1 2  1

1
When n is large, the function behaves like:
2n
1
n
an n 2
lim lim 2  1 lim n 1
n  b
n
n  1 n  2  1
n
2

geometric series
1
Since  n converges, the series converges.
2

 Alternating Series The signs of the terms alternate.

Alternating Series Test

Good news!
If the absolute values of the terms
approach zero, then an alternating
series will always converge!

1 1 1 1 1 1 1
example:
  1
n 1
n 1
       
n 1 2 3 4 5 6
This series converges (by the Alternating Series Test.)

This series is convergent, but not absolutely convergent.

Therefore we say that it is conditionally convergent.


Since each term of a convergent alternating series
moves the partial sum a little closer to the limit:

Alternating Series Estimation Theorem

For a convergent alternating series, the truncation

error is less than the first missing term, and is the
same sign as the last term used.

This is a good tool to remember, because it is easier

than the LaGrange Error Bound.


There is a flow chart in
your book that might be
helpful for deciding in what
order to do which test.
The chart is also on a
handout.

Mostly this just takes

practice.


 To do summations on the TI-89:

5 n
 1 31

n1
8  
 2
becomes  8*(1/ 2  ^ n, n,1,5) 4
F3 4

 n
 1

n 1
8  
 2
becomes  8*(1/ 2  ^ n, n,1, ) 8


To graph the partial sums, we can use sequence mode.

MODE Graph……. 4 ENTER

Y= u1  ( 8*( 3 / 4) ^ k , k ,1, n) ENTER

WINDOW

GRAPH


To graph the partial sums, we can use sequence mode.

MODE Graph……. 4 ENTER

Y= u1  ( 8*( 3 / 4) ^ k , k ,1, n) ENTER

WINDOW

GRAPH

Table


To graph the partial sums, we can use sequence mode.

MODE Graph……. 4 ENTER

Y= u1  ( 8*( 3 / 4) ^ k , k ,1, n) ENTER

WINDOW

GRAPH

Table