Avon High School SOLUTIONS

AP Calculus BC
Period _____ Score ______ / 10
Skill Builder 10.2 – Working with Geometric Series
In the following exercises, find the sum of the convergent geometric series. Be sure to properly justify your
conclusion.

 n 0  n 0
1 1 1 4 4 4
1.)     a =   = 1 r= 2.)  2    a = 2   = 2 r=
n =0  3   3 3 n =0  5  5 5
a 1 3 3 a 2 10 10
S= = = = S= = = = = 10
1 − r 1 − 1 3 −1 2 1− r 1− 4 5 − 4 1
3 5


 1
n
 1 1
0 32 64 2
4.) 40 + 16 + + +  a = 40 r=
3.)  −   a = −  =1 r = −
n =0  2  2 2 5 25 5
a 40 200 200 2
a 1 2 2 S= = = = = 66
S= = = = 1− r  2 5−2 3 3
1− r  1  2 +1 3 1−  
1−  −  5
 2

15 1 1
5.) 60 − 30 + 15 − +  a = 60 r=− 6.) −55 + 5.5 − 0.55 + 0.055 −  a = −55 r = −
2 2 10
a 60 120 120 a −55 −550 −550
S= = = = = 40 S= = = = = −50
1− r  1  2 +1 3 1− r  1  10 + 1 11
1−  −  1−  − 
 2  10 

In the following exercises, find the interval that expresses all the x values for which each of the given series
converges.
n n

 x 
 x−7
7.)  3    converges  r  1
n =1  5 
8.)  2
n =1 
  converges  r  1
3 
x x−7
 1  x  5  −5  x  5 1 x − 7  3 
5 3
−3  ( x − 7 )  3  4  x  10

This study source was downloaded by 100000877601339 from CourseHero.com on 02-25-2025 11:49:57 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/225706899/Topic-102-Working-with-Geometric-Series-SOLUTIONSpdf/
 9.) Jack is sick and takes a flu medication every hour. He takes 100 mg initially and each dosage drops by
20%. If he keeps taking the medication forever, how much will he have taken? Jill is also sick. Each
dosage of hers drops by 30%. If she ends up taking half the amount of medication that Jack eventually
took, what was her original dosage?
 
100 100
Jack = 100 (1 − 0.2 ) = 100 ( 0.8 ) =
n n
= = 500 mg eventually
n =0 n =0 1 − 0.8 0.2
 
d0 d 500 d0
Jill =  d 0 (1 − 0.3) =  d 0 ( 0.7 )
n n
= = 0 = mg eventually = 250  d 0 = 250(0.3) = 75 mg
n =0 n =0 1 − 0.7 0.3 2 0.3

10.) The annual spending by tourists in a resort city is $100 million. About 75% of that revenue is spent
again in the resort city, and of that amount, about 75% is again spent in that city and so on. Write the
geometric series that gives the total amount of spending generated by the $100 million and the sum of
that series.

100 100
S = 100 ( 0.75 ) =
n
= = 400 million eventually
n =0 1 − 0.75 0.25

11.) This is a square of side 4 inches. The midpoints of the square are the vertices of an inscribed square.
More squares are inscribed using the same pattern forever. The perimeters of the squares represents a
geometric sequences.
a. Determine if the infinite sum of these perimeters converges and if so,
find the sum.
2
 s0   s0 
2
 s0 
2
 2
s0 = 4  P0 = 4s0 = 16 s1 =   +   = 2   = s0  
2 2 2  2 
  2  1  1  
1 
n

 P1 = 4s1 = 4  s0    = 4s0  2  = P0  2   P =  P0  2

  2  2  2  n =0 2 
 n
2 2 1 1 
r= = =  1   P0  2  converges
2 2 2 2 n =0 2 
32 2 + 2 ( )
P=
1
P0

=
16
1
=
32
 2− 2
=
4−2
= 16 2 + 2 = 54.6274 in( )
1−  2  1−  2
2  2 
b. The sum of the area of the squares is also a geometric series. Does this series converge or diverge?
If it converges, to what value does it converge?
2
s  s 
2
s 
2
 2
s0 = 4  A0 = s0 2 = 16 s1 =  0  +  0  = 2  0  = s0  
2 2 2  2 
2
  2  22 21 1 
1
n

 A1 =  s0 
   = s0   = s0   = A0    A =  A0  
  2  4 2 2 n =0 2
 n
1 1 A0 16 32
r =  1   A0   converges A= = = = 32 in 2
2 2 1  1  2 −1
n =0
1−   1−  
2 2

This study source was downloaded by 100000877601339 from CourseHero.com on 02-25-2025 11:49:57 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/225706899/Topic-102-Working-with-Geometric-Series-SOLUTIONSpdf/
 In the following exercises, (a) write the repeating decimal as an infinite geometric series and (b) express the
sum of the series as a reduced fraction.

 
=  0.4 ( 0.1) =  0.81( 0.01)
n n
12.) 0.4 = 0.4 + 0.04 + 0.004 + 13.) 0.81 = 0.81 + 0.0081 +
n =0 n =0
 
0.4 4 4 0.81 81 81 9
 0.4(0.1)  0.81( 0.01)
n
n
= = = = = = =
n=0 1 − 0.1 10 − 1 9 n =0 1 − 0.01 100 − 1 99 11

In the following exercises, determine the sum of the convergent series. Be sure to properly justify your
conclusion.

1 1   1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
14.)   −  = 1 −  +  −  +  −  +  −  +  −  +  −  +  −  +
n =1  n n+2  3  2 4 3 5  4 6 5 7   6 8  7 9
 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
= 1 −  +  −  +  −  +  −  +  −  + +  − +
 3  2 4 3 5  4 6 5 7  n n+2
1 1 1
Telescoping series  S = 1 + − lim − lim
2 n→ n + 2 n→ ( n + 1) + 2
1
= 1+ − 0 − 0
2
3
=
2

This study source was downloaded by 100000877601339 from CourseHero.com on 02-25-2025 11:49:57 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/225706899/Topic-102-Working-with-Geometric-Series-SOLUTIONSpdf/
 
4
15.)  (n + 2)(n + 4)
n =1

4 A B A ( n + 4) + ( n + 2) B
= + =  A ( n + 4) + ( n + 2) B = 4
( n + 2 )( n + 4 ) ( n + 2) ( n + 4) ( n + 2 )( n + 4 )
n = −4  A ( 0 ) + ( −2 ) B = 4  B = −2 n = −2  A ( 2 ) + ( 0 ) B = 4  A = 2
  4    2 2 
   = 

n =1  ( n + 2 )( n + 4 )  n =1  n + 2
−  =
n+4

 1 1  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 1 
 
n =1  n + 2
−  =  − + − + − + − + − +
n+4 3 5  4 6 5 7 6 8 7 9
+ − +
n+2 n+4

Telescoping series  S = a1 − lim an +1

1 1 1 1
= + + − lim − lim
3 4 n → n + 4 n → ( n + 1) + 4

1 1
= + −0−0
3 4
7
=
12

 1 1  7
 2  − =
n =1  n + 2 n+4 6

This study source was downloaded by 100000877601339 from CourseHero.com on 02-25-2025 11:49:57 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/225706899/Topic-102-Working-with-Geometric-Series-SOLUTIONSpdf/
 
4
16.)  n(n + 2)
n =1

4 A B A ( n + 2) + ( n ) B
= + =  A ( n + 2) + ( n ) B = 4
n ( n + 2) ( n ) ( n + 2) ( n + 2 )( n )
n = −2  A ( 0 ) + ( −2 ) B = 4  B = −2 n = 0  A ( 2) + (0) B = 4  A = 2
  4   2 2  
1 1 
    
n =1  ( n )( n + 2 ) 
=
n =1  n
− 
n+2
= 2   −
n =1  n

n+2

1 1  1 1   1 1   1 1   1 1   1 1  1 1 
  −
n =1  n
 =  − + − + − + − + − +
n + 2  1 3   2 4   3 5   4 6   5 7 
+ − +
n n+2

Telescoping series  S = a1 − lim an +1

1 1 1
= 1 + − lim − lim
2 n→ n + 2 n→ ( n + 1) + 2
1
= 1+ − 0 − 0
2
3
=
2

1 1 
 2  − =3
n =1  n n+2

This study source was downloaded by 100000877601339 from CourseHero.com on 02-25-2025 11:49:57 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/225706899/Topic-102-Working-with-Geometric-Series-SOLUTIONSpdf/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)