Section 9.

3: Convergence Tests for Positive Series

Section 9.4: Absolute and Conditional
Convergence
Lecture 9 Objectives
— Determine whether a sequence is convergent or divergent
using the appropriate test:
— Integral Test
— Comparison Test
— Limit Comparison Test.
— Use Alternating Test to determine whether an alternating
series is divergent or convergent.
— Decide when to use the absolute convergence theorem.
— Apply the Ratio Test when appropriate.
— Apply the Root Test when appropriate.
 A Quick Summary
— Recall:
— A series ∑%
"#$ &" converges if its sequence of partial sums is
convergent.
— We have seen two popular series that we can easily find their
sums and hence determining their convergence/divergence:
— Geometric Series
— Telescoping Series.
— Test for Divergence is used to conclude that a series ∑%
"#$ &" is
divergent:
If lim &" ≠ 0, or lim &" does not exist, then the series is divergent.
"→% "→%
If lim &" = 0 , the Divergence test fails!
"→%
 Convergence Test for Positive
Series
— What happens if the divergence test fails?

— In this lecture, we will learn about different tests that

give us information about the convergence/divergence
of positive series:
— Integral Test
— Comparison Test
— Limit Comparison Tests

NOTE: A positive series ∑ "# is said to be positive if "# ≥ 0 for all + ≥ 1.

I. Integral Test
— Consider the series
%
1 1 1 1
! ( =1+ (+ (+ (+⋯
' 2 3 4
"#$
$
— The Divergence test fails since lim 3 = 0.
"→% "
— Moreover, there is no simple formula for the general
term of the sequence of the partial sums.
— Goal: Use a geometric idea to test the series for being
convergent or divergent.
 1
1, %
2

These points can be thought of as the points

that lie on the curve
1
!= %
$
To represent this sum geometrically, we can think of each term in the sum as the
area of a rectangle whose base is 1 height is the term itself.
— We can also make use of another geometric idea we have seen at
the beginning of the semester.
— Namely, we can compare the sum of the areas of the rectangles,
% $ $
i.e., ∑"#$ & , to the area under the graph of ' = & ,
" )
% $
+. -. , ∫$ )& /0.
— The latter is an improper integral of type I, convergent by the p-
test (2 = 2 > 1) and its value is:
%
1
7 8 /0 = 1.
0
$
— Thus, the area under the graph is finite, then the sum of the areas
of the rectangles is finite. Thus, the series is convergent.
 #
— Remark: The area under the graph of ! = is not equal to
$%
the sum of the areas of the rectangles. That is,

The sum of the series is not equal to .the value of the improper integral, if
it is convergent.

This geometric idea can be formally stated as the Integral Test

 The Integral Test
The Integral Test: Let f be
1. Positive
2. Continuous
3. Decreasing
on the interval 1, ∞ an let $% = ' ( . Then:
/
(i) ∫. ' 0 10 and the series ∑/
%3. $% are both convergent, or

/
(ii) ∫. ' 0 10 and the series ∑/
%3. $% are both divergent.
To Summarize
— To use the Integral Test to determine the convergence
or divergence of a given series, ∑% "#$ &" do the
following:
— Replace n by x, to get f(x).
— Check whether f(x) satisfies the following conditions: (i)
positive, (ii) continuous, (iii) decreasing on (1, ∞).
— If the three conditions are satisfied then both the series
and the improper integral converge or both diverge.
 Example 1
— Determine whether the following series is convergent or divergent:
%
1
! .
'
"#$
— Solution:
$
— Step 1: Replace n with x to get ) * = .
,
— Step 2: Check the three conditions of the integral test:
$
— ) * = is positive on the interval 1, ∞ .
,
$
— ) * = is continuous on the interval 1, ∞ .
,
$
— ) * = is decreasing on the interval 1, ∞ .
,
 Example 1 Continued
— Step 3: The integral test can be used since all three conditions in
step 2 are satisfied. Thus, check whether the following integral is
convergent or divergent:
#
1
! &%
%
"
The integral is divergent by the p-test, since ' = 1.
"
Therefore, the series ∑#
+," + is divergent by the integral test. This
series is called a harmonic series.

" "
NOTE: The Divergence fails for both ∑# #
+," + and ∑+," +- . However, the first diverges
while the second series converges.
 Example 2
— For what values of p is the series
%
1
! (
'
"#$
convergent? For example, if we take ) = −1, lim
$
= lim ' = ∞
"→% ":; "→%
— Solution:
$ By the Divergence Test,
— If ) < 0, then lim =∞
"→% "5 the series is divergent
$ for
— If ) = 0, then lim 5 =1 )≤0
"→% "
 Example 2 Continued
— For the case where ! > 0, the Divergence Test fails. Therefore, we need to find a
different test that will give us information about the convergence/divergence of
the series. So, now it is the time to apply the Integral Test:
(
— Step 1: Replace n with x to get % & =
)*
— Step 2: We observe that for ! > 0,
(
— % & = is positive on the interval 1, ∞ .
)*
(
— % & = is continuous on the interval 1, ∞ .
)*
( By the p-test, the integral
— % & = is decreasing on the interval 1, ∞ .
)* is divergent for ! ≤ 1
— Step 3: Applying the integral test yields,
/ (
∫( )* 0& By the p-test, the integral
is convergent for ! > 1
 p-Series
— The series in example 2 is called a p-series, another popular
series which we will revisit quite often in our study of series.
In general,
$
The p-series ∑%
"#$ "& is convergent if ' > 1, and divergent if ' ≤ 1.

Example: Determine whether the following series is convergent or divergent:

%
1
-
/ /
"#$.
1
Solution: This is a p-series, where ' = > 1, thus the series is convergent.
2

Note: you can use the above result whenever you need to determine whether a p-series
is convergent or divergent by clearly stating the value of p.
Example 3
— Determine whether the following series is convergent
or divergent:
%
1
! (
' +1
"#$
— Solution:
$
— The Divergence Test fails as lim ". /$ = 0.
"→%
— Thus, check whether the three conditions of the Integral
Test are satisfied, if so use it to conclude about the
series.
 Example 3 Continued
— Step 1: Replace n by x to get ! " =
$
.
% &'$
— Step 2: Check the three conditions
$
— ! " = is positive on the interval 1, ∞ .
% &'$
$
— ! " = & is continuous on the interval 1, ∞ .
% '$
$ The improper integral is
— ! " = is decreasing on the interval 1, ∞ . convergent
% &'$
— Step 3: The integral test yields,
- 4
1 1 4 > > >
, . 0" = lim , . 0" = lim arctan " 6 = lim arctan < − arctan 1 = − =
" +1 4→- " +1 4→- $ 4→- 2 4 4
$ $

Thus, by the Integral Test, the series is convergent.

$ E
Reminder Again; ∑- BC$ & ≠
B F
 Example 4
— Determine whether the series
%
ln (
!
(
"#$
Converges or diverges.
— Solution:
,- .
— Step 1: Replace n by x to get ) * = .
.
— Step 2: Check the three conditions of the Integral Test,
,- .
— ) * = .
is positive for * > 1.
,- .
— ) * = is continuous for * > 1.
 Example 4 Continued
$% &
— It is not clear if ! " = is decreasing. Therefore, we need to compute its
&
derivative and check if ! ' " < 0 on 1, ∞ .
1
" − ln " 1 − ln "
'
! " = " =
" 2 "2
We see that ! ' " < 0, when ln x > 1, in other words, when
" > = (since = >?& > = @ ). Therefore, f is decreasing when " > =.
Divergent
— Step 3: Apply the Integral test,
C F F
ln " ln " (ln ")2 (ln K)2 (ln 1)2
B D" = lim B D" = lim H = lim − =∞
" F→C " F→C 2 F→C 2 2
@ @ @
U-substitution
L = ln "
@
DL = & D"
Thus, by the Integral Test, the series is divergent.
 More Tests of Convergence
— Recall again the following two series which we know
everything about:
• The geometric series: ∑%
"#$ &
"
3
• Converges for & < 1 and its sum is 1 =
345
• Diverges for & ≥ 1.
3
• The p-series ∑%
"#3 "8 :
• Converges for : > 1
• Diverges for : ≤ 1

Note: The above two series will play an important role in determining the
convergence or divergence of other series in this section.
 Comparison Test
— Now, consider the series
%
1
! " .
2 +1
"#$
— To test the convergence/divergence of the series above, we
can use the Integral Test as all three conditions are satisfied
-
by the function * + = ./0-
(Check). However, the integral
of f(x) is not easy to evaluate.
— How can we then, determine the convergence or divergence
of this series?
— Idea: the series looks like a series we know everything
about. Can you guess which one?
 %
1
! "
2 +1
"#$
— We observe that if we ignore the 1 in the denominator,
we would get the geometric series
%
1
! "
2
"#$
— Can we expect the same behavior for both series?

— The idea is to compare both series as follows:

 % & % &
∑"#$ ( ~ ∑"#$ ( ?
' )& '
— We observe that:
2" + 1 ≥ 2" , 012 344 5 ≥ 0
& & Geometric series with
so, '()&
≤ '(
. 1
2 = <1
We get, 2
% %
and hence, convergent.
1 1 1
8 " ≤8 " = =2
2 +1 2 1−
1
"#$ "#$ 2

&
Since the series ∑%"#$ '( )& is less than a finite number, then its sum has to be finite.
Therefore, it is convergent. The test we used to conclude about the series is called
The Comparison Test
 The Comparison Test
— Suppose that ∑"# "$% ∑&# are series with positive terms.
— If ∑&# is convergent and "# ≤ &# for all $, and so ∑"# ≤ ∑&# ,
then ∑"# converges.
— If ∑&# is divergent and "# ≥ &# for all $, and so ∑"# ≥ ∑&# ,
then ∑"# diverges.

Remarks:
• We are making the assumptions that the terms "# "$% &# are positive because if
something is less than a finite number, it could be a finite number but it may also be−∞.
• The first scenario means that if the infinite sum is less than a finite number then
that sum must be finite.
• The second scenario means that if the series is larger than a divergent series, then its
must be divergent as well.
 Example 5
— Determine the divergence or convergence of the following
series:
%
5
! )
2( + 4( + 3
"#$

— In order to use the Comparison Test, we need to think of a

series whose convergence/divergence criteria are know (e.g.
geometric or p-series). To do so, we first observe that as
( → ∞, the dominant term in the denominator is 2() .
 Example 5 Continued
— Thus, a sensible choice is to first compare:

2"# + 4" + 3 > 2"# , for all " > 1

1 1
<
2"# + 4" + 3 2"#
to yield,
5 5 P-series, where p=2 > 1
# < #. and hence convergent
2" + 4" + 3 2"
So,
6 6 6
5 5 5 1
2 # <2 #= 2 #
2" + 4" + 3 2" 2 "
345 345 345

9
Therefore, the series ∑6
345 converges by the Comparison Test.
#3: ;<3;=
 Example 6
— Test the series for convergence or divergence:
%
ln (
!
(
"#$
— In example 4, we showed that the series above diverges
by the Integral Test.
— The goal of revisiting this problem is to show that more
than one test can be used to test the convergence or
divergence of a series.
— Again, we need to think of a known series with which we
can compare our series of interest.
 Example 6 Continued
— Can we compare ln # to 1?

Yes, ln # > 1, for all # > -

./ 0 1
>
0 0
Harmonic Series, and hence divergent.
5 ./ 0 5 1
So, ∑034 > ∑034
0 0

5 ./ 0
Therefore, the series ∑031 diverges by the Comparison Test.
0
 Remarks about Example 6
As long as the conditions hold for all the terms except for finitely many terms
(the previous example the conditions hold except for * = 1 and * = 2),
then the conclusion of the test hold. This statement is true because an infinite sum
can be written as:
% "( %
! &" = ! &" + ! &"
"#$ "#$ "#"(

This sum is finite no matter what n0 is. A finite number will not
affect the convergence or divergence of a series.
 The Limit Comparison Test
— Consider the following series:
%
1
! " .
2 −1
"#$
— To test the convergence or divergence of the following series, we might try to
compare it to the geometric series
%
1
! " .
2
"#$
— We notice that,
2" −1 < 2" , for all 1 > 1
$ $
> Convergent Geometric Series
34 5$ 34 $
% % With 6 = < 1
1 1 3
! " >! "
2 −1 2
"#$ "#$
So the Comparison Test in this case is inapplicable.
 The Limit Comparison Test
— Goal: Develop a more powerful test.

The Limit Comparison Test (LCT): Suppose ∑ "# "$% ∑ &# are series with
positive terms.
,
If lim - = 0 where c is a positive number, then either both series converge or
#→+ .-
both series diverge.

Remarks:
,
• lim - = 0 means that an and bn almost of the same size up to a constant.
#→+ .-
• c cannot be negative since both terms of the series are positive.
• If 0 = 0, this implies that "# ≪ &# , which is nothing but the old Comparison Test.
 Example 7
— Test the following series for convergence or divergence
%
1
! " .
2 −1
"#$
— Using the LCT, we need to compare the series to one of the series we have
$
information about, which in this case is the geometric series ∑%
"#$ +, .
$ $
— Let -" = and 3" = , thus
+, /$ +,
1
-" 2 "−1 2" 2"
lim = lim = lim " = lim =1
"→% 3" "→% 1 "→% 2 − 1 "→% " 1
2 (1 − " )
2" 2
0

$ $
Therefore, by the LCT ∑%
"#$ converges since ∑%
"#$ is convergent.
+, /$ +,
 Example 8
— Determine whether the following series is convergent or
divergent: The dominant term is 2'(
%
2'( + 3'
!
"#$
5 + ',
.
Dominant term is ', =' /

(" / (
Therefore, a good candidate for comparison is the p-series ∑%
"#$ = ∑%
"#$ .
". "
("/ 12" (
Thus, if we let 0" = and 3" = , we can use the limit comparison test
,1". "
2'( + 3' , 2 , 3
, (
2' + 3' ' 2' + 3'
( ( ' ( 2 +
lim 5 + ' = lim = lim = lim ' =1>0
"→% 2 "→% 2 5 + ', "→% 2 5 + ', "→% , 5
' 2' (( +1
',
Example 8 Continued
% & $
— Since the p-series ∑"#$ diverges (( = < 1), then
" &
.
&" /0"
%
∑"#$
by the LCT, the series is divergent.
1/"2
 Example 9
— Test the convergence or divergence of the series
%
1
! sin .
*
"#$
— Solution: For completeness, let us check which convergence test may be
the optimal choice to determine whether this series in convergent or
divergent.
$
— Divergence Test fails: lim sin =0
"→% "
— The three conditions of the Integral Test are satisfied (check), yet we
$
cannot integrate the function 1 2 = sin .
3
— The Comparison Test, will not work here because, the easy inequality
$
that we can think of (for sine) is: −1 ≤ sin ≤ 1, which will not help.
"
 Example 9 (continued)
— Clearly sin(1/') is positive, since 1/' < 1 for all ' > 1. We also know that sin ,
is positive on the interval from [0, 0]. Therefore, the terms of the series
5
∑6345 sin are positive.
3
— To use the LCT, we have to find a series that you know of its behavior
(convergence or divergence). When you look at sin(1/') we can think of either
a geometric or p-series, so we would choose a p-series since we have 1/'. More
precisely, we will compare it to the Harmonic series
5
∑6
345 7 = 1, and hence divergent .
3
— Using the LCT yields,
1 GHI E
sin Recall: lim =1
lim ' =1 E→F E
3→6 1
'
5
— In conclusion, the series ∑6
345 sin diverges since the harmonic series is
3
divergent.
 A Quick Summary
— We learned about three tests to determine the convergence
or divergence of series that are neither geometric,
telescopic, nor p-series.
— The Integral Test
All these tests share a common
— The Comparison Test condition; namely the positivity
of the terms of the series.
— The Limit Comparison Test

Questions: What if we have infinitely many negative terms in a series?

 Alternating Series
— Consider the following series;
%
"
! −1 (" = ($ − (* + (, − (- + (. − ⋯
"#$
— We observe that the terms is the series above alternate in
sign, +, −, +, −, +, … . Such series following this alternating
sign behavior is called an Alternating Series.
— Examples:
% 4* 567 * * * * *
— ∑"#* = 1−,+-−.+8−9+⋯
"

— ∑% " " * , - . 8 9
"#* −1 ":*
= − + − + − + −⋯
, - . 8 9 ;
Alternating Series Test (AST)
— To determine the convergence of an alternating series,
we make use of the following test:

The Alternating Series Test (AST): If the alternating series

%
! −1 "($ ) = )$ − )+ + )- − ). + ⋯
"
"#$
Satisfies
i b23$ ≤ )" for all n.
(ii) lim b2 = 0
2→%

then the series is convergent.

 Why does the AST work?
— The idea behind the AST can be seen logically by the
following figure which is constructed in the following way:
— Again, consider the series ∑%
"#$ −1
"($
)" .
— Plot *$ = )$ on a number line.
— To find *, , we subtract ), . So, on the number line *, is to
the left of *$ .
— To find *. , we add ). , so *. is to the right of *, . But *. is
also to the left of *$ , since ). < ), .
— If we continue with this construction, we observe that the
partial sums swing back and forth.
— Since, by the hypothesis !" → 0, the successive steps are becoming
smaller and smaller.
— As you see from the graph the total sum &" is less than !' for any n (&"
is less than !" for any n and because !" is decreasing !" < !' )
— In conclusion, it seems acceptable to say that the sequence of partial
sums is converging to some number s, and hence the convergence of
the series.
 Example 1
— Test the following series for convergence or divergence:
%
"
1
! −1
(
"#$
— Solution: this is clearly an alternating sries
%
"
1 1 1 1 1 1
! −1 =− + − + − +⋯
( 1 2 3 4 5
"#$
$
With 0" = .
"
— To apply the AST, we need to check the following two conditions:
$ $
— 0"2$ < 0" , since < for all n.
"2$ "
$ By the AST, the series is convergent.
— lim 0" = lim =0
"→% "→% "
 Example 2
— Test the convergence or divergence of the series:
%
−1 " 3)
!
4) − 1
"#$
-"
— Solution: This is an alternating series with +" = .
."/$
— Clearly the second condition of the test is not satisfied since
3) 3
lim = ≠0
"→% 4) − 1 4
— If we look at the nth term of the series, we observe that.
For odd n,
−1 " 3) the limit is −3/4
lim
"→% 4) − 1
does not exist. For even n,
the limit is 3/4.
— Thus, by the Divergence Test, the series is divergent.
 Example 3
— Test the series for convergence or divergence
% *
)
! −1 "($ +
) +1
"#$
"/
— Solution: This is an alternating series with -" = .
"0($
— To apply the AST, we need to check:
— -"($ < -" for all n. This is not as obvious as in the previous
questions. So, we consider the function
5/
3 4 = 50 ($, we find that
24 4 ++1 − 4^2 34 * 4 2 − 4*
36 4 = = +
4+ +1 * 4 +1 *
— ! " # < 0, when 2 − # - < 0, .. 0. , # > 2 since we are
only considering the positive values of x.
— Therefore the function f(x) is decreasing on the
interval ( 2, ∞). That is 5678 < 56 , when 9 ≥ 2.
— To verify the second condition, we evaluate the
following limit:
9- 9-
lim 56 = lim A = lim =0
6→? 6→? 9 + 1 6→? A 1
9 1+ A
9
— Therefore, the series is convergent by the AST.
 Absolute Convergence
— Example 4: Consider the series
%
cos )
! $*
)
"#$
— How can we determine whether the series is convergent or divergent?
/01 "
— Divergence Test fails, since lim = 0 (check)
"→% "23
— The Integral Test cannot be applied since the positivity condition is not
satisfied.
— Neither the Comparison Test or the LCT can be applied since the positivity
condition is not satisfied.
— The series is not alternating since:
%
cos ) cos 2 cos 3 cos 4 cos 5
! $* = cos 1 + $* + $* + $* + $* …
) + 2 3 4 5 Signs are clearly
"#$ − − − +
not alternating.
— Goal: we will try to test a much bigger series,
%
cos )
! $* ,
)
"#$
which is easier to test. Clearly all the terms are positive. We note that
| cos )| ≤ 1. So,
| cos )| 1
≤ $*
)$* ) p-series with 0 > 10,
% %
| cos ) | 1 and hence convergent.
! ≤ ! $*
)$* )
"#$ "#$
456 "
Therefore, ∑%
"#$ is convergent by the Comparison Test.
"78
 &'( "
In the previous example, instead of testing the series ∑%
"#$ , with negative
")*
&'( "
terms, we test the series of absolute values ∑%
"#$ . The series of absolute
")*
&'( "
values ∑%
"#$ turns out to be convergent. We will see now that this implies
")*
&'( "
that the original series ∑%
"#$ is itself convergent.
")*

To put this formally, we make use of the following definitions.

Absolute and Conditional
Convergence
— Definition:

— Given a series ∑ "# , if ∑ "# is convergent, then ∑ "# is

called absolutely convergent.

— A series ∑ "# is called conditionally convergent if it is

convergent but not absolutely convergent.
 % &'( "
— We have shown that the series ∑"#$ )* is convergent by
"
% &'( "
showing that the series ∑"#$ )* is convergent.
"
% &'( "
Therefore, we say that ∑"#$ )*is absolutely convergent.
"
This result is generalized in the following theorem:
Theorem: If a series is absolutely convergent (i.e., ∑ |7" | is convergent),
then ∑ 7" is convergent.
Reason: We know that 7" ≤ 7" ,
So, 7" + 7" ≤ 2 7" . Since both sides of the inequality are positive,
∑ 7" + 7" ≤ 2∑ 7"
If ∑ 7" is convergent, then by the Comparison Test, ∑ 7" + 7" is convergent,
and hence the convergence of ∑7"
 Example 5
— Does convergence imply absolute convergence?
— To answer this question, let us consider the alternating harmonic series
% "
−1
! .
(
"#$
— We have already seen in Example 1 that this series is convergent.
— However, the corresponding series of absolute values is
% " %
−1 1
! =!
( (
"#$ "#$
— This is the harmonic series which is divergent. Therefore, it is possible for a
series to be convergent but not absolutely convergent. These series are called
conditionally convergent.
 The Ratio Test
— We have seen that if a series is absolutely convergent, then it must be
convergent. So, a test to show absolute convergence will be helpful. The
first test we will cover is the Ratio Test.

The Ratio Test: Let ∑ "# be a series.

)*+,
(i) If lim = . < 1, then the series ∑ "# is absolutely convergent.
#→( )*
)
(ii) If lim *+, = . > 1, 34 ± ∞, then the series is divergent.
#→( )*
)
(iii) If lim *+, = . = 1, the ratio test fails.
#→( )*

Note: each condition is roughly explained as follows;

(i) the terms are getting smaller when n is getting large.
(ii) the terms are getting larger when n is getter large.
(iii) Although the terms are of the same size, we don’t know whether the size is small or big.
 Example 6
— Test the series for absolute convergence,
% )
(
! −1 " "
3
"#$
-
— Solution: We use the Ration Test with +" = −1 "" . So,
).
-
+"0$ = −1 "0$ "0$ .
).12
— Evaluating the limit, we get:
+"0$ −1 "0$ ( + 1 ) 3" − (+1 ) 3"
lim = lim 8 = lim 8 )
"→% +" "→% 3"0$ "
−1 ( ) "→% 3" 3 (
1 (+1 ) 1
= lim = < 1.
"→% 3 ( 3

Therefore, by the Ratio Test, the series is absolutely convergent; and hence
convergent.
 Recall:

Example 7 &! = & & − 1 & − 2 … 3 5 2 5 1

& + 1 ! = (& + 1)n!
1 "
— Test the convergence of the series lim 1 + =8
% "→% &
&"
! .
&!
"#$
"+ ",$ +-.
— Solution: We use the Ratio Test with )" = . So, )",$ =
"! ",$ !
— Evaluating the limit, we get:
& + 1 ",$ &! & + 1 (& + 1)" &!
lim 5 = lim
"→% & + 1 ! &" "→% & + 1 &! &"
" "
&+1 1
= lim = lim 1+ = 8 > 1.
"→% & "→% &

Therefore, by the Ratio Test, the series is divergent.

 The Root Test
— The root test is another useful test to determine the
absolute convergence when nth powers appear in the series

The Root Test: Let ∑ "# be a series.

(i) If lim ) |"# | = , < 1, then the series is convergent.
#→(
)
(ii) If lim |"# | = , > 1, then the series is divergent.
#→(
)
(iii) If lim |"# | = 1, then the ratio test fails.
#→(
Note: The conditions are roughly explained as follows;
)
,≈ "# ⟹ ,# ≈ |"# | ⇒ 4 ,# ≈ 4 "#

This is a geometric series, convergent for , < 1 and divergent for , ≥ 1

 Example 8
— Test the convergence of the series
% "
2' + 3
! .
3' + 2
"#$
-"./ "
— Solution: we will use the root test with +" = . So,
/".-
0 0 -"./ " -"./
+" = = .
/".- /".-
— Evaluating the limit, we get:
3
2' + 3 2' + 3 2 ' 2+'
lim = lim = lim = < 1.
"→% 3' + 2 "→% 3' + 2 "→% 2 3
' 3+'
— Therefore, by the Root Test, the series is convergent.