Review Questions on Sequences and Series

Prof. Cesar Aguilar

Department of Mathematics, SUNY Geneseo

Disclaimer: This is a list of questions to guide you through your studies in Sequences and Se-
ries. Not everything that is asked in these questions will appear in the test, and conversely, there
might be a question in the test that was not explicitly covered by these questions. Use these
questions only as a guide in your studies and don’t feel like you need to answer every question
to be 100% ready for your test. Solutions to these questions will not be provided.

Use WolframAlpha to Check Your Work

To check your work, you can use WolframAlpha (https://www.wolframalpha.com/) to decide
if a sequence converges. For example, to compute limn→∞ nn+3
2 +3 , enter the following into the
WolframAlpha search bar:

Limit[ (n+3)/(nˆ2+3), n -> Infinity]

ln(n)
Or to compute limn→∞ n2 +3 type:

Limit[ ln(n)/(nˆ2+3), n -> Infinity]

P∞ n+3
WolframAlpha can also do series. For example, to check the convergence/divergence of n=1 n3 +7 ,
enter the following into the WolframAlpha search bar:

Sum[ (n+3)/(nˆ3+7), {n, 1, Inf}]

In this case, Wolfram gives an approximation to the actual sum. It also tells you
P∞which method it
n+3
used to decide. On the other hand, Wolfram correctly returns that the series n=1 n2 +7 diverges.

Sequences
1. What is a sequence? Use one sentence to answer the question.

2. Is the sequence an = arctan(n) bounded above and/or bounded below? If yes, then find a
lower and/or upper bound. You can assume that n = 0, 1, 2, 3, . . ..

3. Is the sequence an = n2 bounded above and/or bounded below? If yes, then find a lower
and/or upper bound. You can assume that n = 1, 2, 3, . . ..
 
4. Write the general nth term an for the sequence a = − 72 , 84 , − 98 , 16
10
, − 11
32 , . . . . Part of your
answer must state the initial value of the index n. Does the sequence converge?
 
5. Write the general nth term bn for the sequence b = 31 , 85 , 27
7 9, 64
, . . . . Part of your answer
must state the initial value of the index n. Does the sequence converge?

6. What is the Squeeze Theorem? Write it out as accurately as possible.

(−1)n cos(3n + 1)
7. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ n
n4 (−1)n
8. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 2n

pg. 1
 n54
9. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 2n

n54000000
10. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 2n
1 − 7n11 − 56n19 + 11n24 + 65n33
11. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 23n35 − n25 + n2 − 6
1 − 7n11 − 56n19 + 11n24 + 65n33
12. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 23n33 − n25 + n2 − 6
1 − 7n11 − 56n19 + 11n24 + 65n35
13. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 23n33 − n25 + n2 − 6
√
1+ n
14. Compute lim 2 , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ n + 1

n2
15. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ e −3n

n3n
16. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 4n

sin2 (n2 )
17. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ n2
−2n3 + sin2 (3n)
18. Compute lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ n3 + 12
18
 
5
19. Compute lim + 7 arctan(n ) , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ 11n
1
20. Compute lim (e 2n + 6n) n , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞

ln(n)
21. Comptue lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ n3/2

arctan(n)
22. Comptue lim , or explain why it does not exist.
n→∞ n

pg. 2
Series
1. What is a series? Use one sentence to answer the question.

2. What is the sequence of partial sums of a series ∞

P
n=1 an ?
P
3. Fill in the blank: The series an converges to L if converges to
L.
P∞ 5n2 +n+1
4. The sequence
P∞ of partial sums {sn }∞n=1 of the series n=1 an is computed to be sn = 2n2 −n+3 .
Does n=1 an converge? If yes, what does it converge to? Does {an }∞ n=1 converge? If yes,
what does it converge to?
∞ P∞ n+1
5. The sequence
P∞ of partial sums {s n }n=1 of the series n=1 an is computed to be sn = 2n2 −n+3 .
Does n=1 an converge? If yes, what does it converge to? Does {an }∞ n=1 converge? If yes,
what does it converge to?
∞ P∞ n3 +1
6. The sequence
P∞ of partial sums {s n }n=1 of the series n=1 a n is computed to be s n = 2n2 −n+3
.
∞
Does n=1 an converge? If yes, what does it converge to? Does {an }n=1 converge? If yes,
what does it converge to?

7. Calculate the first 3 terms of the sequence of partial sums of the series ∞ 1
P
n=1 n2 .
P∞ 1
8. Calculate the first 3 terms of the sequence of partial sums of the series n=1 n .
P P P
9. If an = 11 and bn = −3 then what is (2an + 7bn )?

10. Write out the formula for the Geometric series. Be careful with where the index starts.

11. Find the sum

5 5 5 5
5+ + 2 + 3 + 4 + ···
2 2 2 2
12. Find the sum
1 1 1 1 1
7 + 11 − 33 + 1 + + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + ···
2 2 2 2 2
13. Find the sum
2 4 8 16
1− + − + − ···
5 25 125 625
14. Find the sum
73 74 75 75 76
+ + + + + ···
83 84 85 85 86
15. Find the sum
3 32 33 34 35
1+ + + + + + ···
2 22 23 24 25
16. What is a p-series? When does a p-series converge?

17. Write out the Integral Test.

18. Write out the Comparison Test.

pg. 3
19. Write out the Limit Comparison Test.

20. Write out the Absolute Convergence Test.

21. Write out the Ratio Test.

22. Write out the Alternating Series Test.

P P
23. TRUE or FALSE: Let an be a given series. If limn→∞ an = 1, then the series an converges
to 1.
P
24. P
TRUE or FALSE: Let an be a given series. If limn→∞ an = 0, then necessarily the series
an converges.
P
25. TRUE or FALSE: If an converges then necessarily the sequence of partial sums sn con-
verges to zero: limn→∞ sn = 0.
P
26. TRUE or FALSE: If an converges then necessarily the sequence an converges to zero:
limn→∞ an = 0.
P
27. TRUE or FALSE: The Integral Test can be applied to the series an only when the sequence
is non-negative: an ≥ 0.

28. TRUE or FALSE: The Comparison Tests can be applied only to series that are non-negative.
P P
29. TRUE or FALSE:
P Let a n be a given series. Suppose that |an | converges. Then we can
conclude that 5an also converges.
P P
30. TRUE or FALSE:
P Let an be a given series. Suppose that an converges. Then we can
conclude that |an | also converges.

31. TRUE or FALSE: The Ratio Test can be applied only to series that are non-negative.

32. TRUE or FALSE: If a series converges absolutely then it must also converge.

33. Construct a series ∞

P
n=0 an that converges to 5. Hint: Use a Geometric series.

34. Construct a series ∞

P
n=0 an that converges to −π. Hint: Use a Geometric series.

35. TRUE or FALSE: Suppose that limn→∞ aan+1 = 3. Then necessarily the series |an | con-
P
n
verges.
P P
36. TRUE or FALSE: Suppose that bn converges and suppose that bn < an for all n. Then an
must also converge.
P P
37. TRUE or FALSE: Suppose that bn diverges and suppose that an < bn for all n. Then an
must also diverge.
√ P (ln(n))6
38. It is very useful to know that ln(n) < n for all n > 0. For example, consider n5
.
√ √ (ln(n))6 3
Since ln(n) < n then (ln n)6 < ( n)6 = n3 . Therefore, n5 < nn5 = n12 . Because the series
P 1 P (ln(n))6
n2
converges, by the Comparison Test Part (i), then n5
converges also.

pg. 4
 ∞
X 1
39. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
ln(n6 )
n=2
∞
X 1
40. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
ln(2n )
n=2
∞
X 1
41. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
ln(2 n3 )
n=2
∞
X (2n + 7)(−1)n
42. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
3n3 − 7n + 1
n=1
∞
X 7 − 99n2
43. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
13 − 3n + 100n2
n=1
∞
X 7 − 99n2
44. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
13 − 3n + 100n2
n=1
∞
X (−1)n
45. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
n(ln n)2
n=2
∞
X 2n
46. Does 2
converge? Explain/show how you decide.
n=1
en
∞
X (−1)n
47. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
n!
n=1
∞ n
X 4
48. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
n!
n=1
∞
X 10n (−1)n
49. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
n42n+1
n=1
∞
X (2n)!
50. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
2n n!
n=1
∞ √
X (−1)n 2n n
51. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
n!
n=1
∞
X (2n)!
52. Does converge? Explain/show how you decide.
n!n!
n=1

pg. 5