INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (BHU), VARANASI

Odd Semester 2020-2021

Engineering Mathematics I (MA 101)
Solutions to Tutorial Sheet 2

Topics Covered: Series and Taylor’s series (Unit I)

1. Test the convergence of the following series:

1 2 2 3 3
(i) 2·3
x + 3·5
x + 4·7
x + ···
P∞  −3/2
(ii) 1+ √1
n=1 n

P∞  
(iii) Sn , where Sn = √ 1√ + √ 1√ + √ 1√ + ··· + √ 1
√ .
n=1 1+ 2 2+ 3 3+ 4 n+ n+1

Solution:

n
(i) The nth term of the given series is un = (n+1)(2n+1) xn , n ∈ N.
P P
For x = 0 , the series un is 0, which is convergent.
For x 6= 0 ,

(n + 1)xn+1 (n + 1)(2n + 1)
   
un+1 n+1 n+1 2n + 1
= = x.
un (n + 2)(2n + 3) nxn n n+2 2n + 3

Therefore, limn→∞ |u|un+1

n|
|
= |x|.
P
By ratio test, |un | is convergent when |x| < 1. As an absolutely convergent series
P
is convergent, the series un is convergent when |x| < 1.

P
For |x| > 1 , the series un is divergent.
(Reason:
|un +1|
Note that limn→∞ |un |
= |x| > 1.
 |x|−1
Take ε0 = 2
> 0. For this ε0 > 0 there exists k ∈ N such that

|un+1 |
> |x| − ε0 for all n ≥ k
|un |
|un+1 |
=⇒ > |x|+1
2
> 1 for all n ≥ k.
|un |

Thus, {|un |} is eventually monotone increasing sequence. Hence, limn→∞ |un | 6= 0.

P
Therefore, limn→∞ un 6= 0, and hence un is divergent.)

For |x| = 1 , either x = 1 or x = −1.

n
When x = 1, un = (n+1)(2n+1)
. Take vn = n1 , n ∈ N.
Notice that

(i) un > 0 and vn > 0 for all n ∈ N, and

un n2 1
(ii) limn→∞ vn
= limn→∞ (n+1)(2n+1)
= 2
6= 0.
P P
By limit comparison test, un is divergent since vn is divergent (p series with
p = 1).
n
(−1)n (n+1)(2n+1)
P P
When x = −1, the series un becomes the alternating series ,
which is convergent by Leibniz’s test.
Hence, accumulating all the above cases, the given series is convergent for all x ∈
[−1, 1) and divergent otherwise.
P
(ii) For the series an to be convergent, we must have limn→∞ an = 0. But here
 −3/2
limn→∞ 1 + √1n = 1. So, the given series is divergent.
√ √ √ √ √ √ √
(iii) Sn = ( 2 − 1) + ( 3 − 2) + · · · + ( n + 1 − n) = n + 1 − 1.
√
Take vn = n.
q 
Then, limn→∞ Svnn = limn→∞ 1 + n1 − √1n = 1 6= 0.
P
Note that Sn > 0 and vn > 0 for all n ∈ N, and vn is divergent.
Thus, by limit comparison test, ∞
P
n=1 Sn is divergent.

2
2. Identify the values of x for which the following power series converges:
P∞
(i) n=0 xn
P∞ (x−2)n
(ii) n=0 10n

Solution 1:

Pn
(i) Let un = xn for all n = 0, 1, 2, . . .. Then, the given series is n=0 un .
|un+1 |
Note that limn→∞ |un |
= |x|.
By ratio test, the series is absolutely convergent for |x| < 1. In addition, the series
is divergent for |x| > 1 (Why? See the answer to Problem 1 (i)).
Hence, the series is convergent for |x| < 1 and divergent for |x| > 1.
For |x| = 1, limn→∞ |un | = 1 6= 0. Therefore, either limn→∞ un does not exist or
limn→∞ un 6= 0. Hence, the series is divergent for |x| = 1.
Accumulating all, the series is convergent only for x ∈ (−1, 1).
(x−2)n
(ii) Let un = 10n
for all n = 0, 1, 2, . . ..
un+1 |x−2|
Note that limn→∞ un
= 10
.
By ratio test, the series is absolutely convergent for |x − 2| < 10. In addition, the
series is divergent for |x − 2| > 10 (Why? See the answer to Problem 1 (i)).
For |x − 2| = 10, limn→∞ |un | = 1 6= 0. Therefore, either limn→∞ un does not exist
or limn→∞ un 6= 0. Hence, the series is divergent for |x| = 1.
Accumulating all, the series is convergent only for x ∈ (−8, 12).

Solution 2:
P∞
Hint: Note that both the series are geometric series n=0 rn , which is convergent only
for |r| < 1.

3. Find the Maclaurin series of the following functions:

(i) f (x) = e−x

(ii) f (x) = sin 3x.

3
Solution:

(i) Let f (x) = e−x .

Then, f (n) (x) = (−1)n e−x for all n ∈ N.
Therefore, f (n) (0) = (−1)n .
Hence, the Maclaurin series of e−x is given by

x2 00 xn
e−x = f (0) + xf 0 (0) + f (0) + · · · + f (n) (0) + · · ·
2! n!
x2 x3 x n
=1−x+ − + . . . + (−1)n + · · ·
2! 3! n!
∞ n
X x
= (−1)n .
n=0
n!

(ii) Let f (x) = sin 3x.

Then, f (n) (x) = 3n sin( nπ
2
+ 3x) for all n ∈ N.
Thus, f (n) (0) = 3n sin nπ
2
for all n ∈ N.
Hence, f (2k) (0) = 0 for k = 1, 2, 3, . . ., and
f (2k+1) (0) = (−1)k 32k+1 for k = 0, 1, 2, 3, . . ..
Thus, the Maclaurin series of sin 3x is

x2 00 x3 xn
sin 3x = f (0) + xf 0 (0) + f (0) + f 000 (0) + · · · + f (n) (0) + · · ·
2! 3! n!
33 3 35 5
= 3x − x + x − ···
3! 5!
∞ k 2k+1 2k+1
X (−1) 3 x
= .
k=0
(2k + 1)!

4. Find the Taylor series of the following functions:

(i) f (x) = ln(1 + x) at a = 0

1
(ii) f (x) = x2
at a = 1.

Solution:

(i) Note that f (0) = ln 1 = 0.

4
 • f 0 (x) = 1
1+x
. So, f 0 (0) = 1.
• f 00 (x) = −(1 + x)−2 . So, f 00 (0) = −1.
• f 000 (x) = 2(x + 1)−3 . So, f 000 (0) = 2.
• f (4) (x) = −6(x + 1)−4 . So, f (4) (0) = −6.
• f (5) (x) = 24(x + 1)−5 . So, f (5) (0) = 24.
• f (6) (x) = −120(x + 1)−6 . So, f (6) (0) = −120, and so on.

So, the Taylor series for f (x) at a = 0 is

x 0 x2 x3 x4 x5
f (0) + f (0) + f 00 (0) + f 000 (0) + f (4) (0) + f (5) (0) + · · ·
1! 2! 3! 4! 5!
1 2 2 3 6 4 24 5 120 6
=0+x− x + x − x + x − x + ···
2! 3! 4! 5! 6!
x2 x3 x4 x5 x6
=x− + − + − + ···
2 3 4 5 6
∞
X (−1)n−1 xn
= .
n=1
n

(ii) Note that f (1) = 1.

• f 0 (x) = −2
x3
. So, f 0 (1) = −2.
• f 00 (x) = 3!
x4
. So, f 00 (1) = 3!.
• f 000 (x) = −4!
x5
. So, f 000 (1) = −4!.
• f (4) (x) = 5!
x6
. So, f (4) (1) = 5!, and so on.

So, the Taylor series for f (x) at a = 1 is

(x − 1) 0 (x − 1)2 00 (x − 1)3 000 (x − 1)4 (4)

f (1) + f (1) + f (1) + f (1) + f (1) + · · ·
1! 2! 3! 4!
= 1 − 2(x − 1) + 3(x − 1)2 − 4(x − 1)3 + 5(x − 1)4 − 6(x − 1)5 + · · ·
X∞
= (−1)n (n + 1)(x − 1)n .
n=0