Chapter 4: Recurrence relations

4.1 Definition and examples

Definition: A recurrence relation for a sequence {𝑎𝑛 }∞

𝑛=1 is an equation that expresses 𝑎𝑛 in

terms of one or more preceding terms 𝑎1 , 𝑎2 , 𝑎3 , … . 𝑎𝑛 . Moreover, the sequence is called the
solution to the recurrence relation if it satisfies the recurrence relation.

The following are examples of recurrence relations:

𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 1 , 𝑛 ≥ 2 (1)

𝑎𝑛 = 5𝑎𝑛−1 − 6𝑎𝑛−2 , 𝑛 ≥ 2 (2)

For (1) we would need one initial value to find a particular or single 𝑎𝑛 . For example, if 𝑎0 = 1
then 𝑎1 = 3 and 𝑎2 = 7.
For (2) we would need two initial values to find a particular or single 𝑎𝑛. For example, if 𝑎0 = 1
and 𝑎1 = 5 then 𝑎2 = 19 and 𝑎3 = 65.

Example 1: Verify that the solution of the recurrence relation 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 1 , 𝑛 ≥ 2 with 𝑎0 = 0
is 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛 − 1
Solution: We have to do two things

a) Check that the given formula gives the correct initial value
b) Check that the given formula solves the recurrence relation.

a) Putting 𝑛 = 0 in 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛 − 1 gives 𝑎0 = 1 − 1 = 0 as required. To do

b) We evaluate 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 1 using the given formula and show that it is equal to 𝑎𝑛 .

Consider 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛 − 1

𝑎𝑛−1 = 2𝑛−1 – 1 so

2𝑎𝑛−1 + 1 = 2(2𝑛−1 – 1) + 1 = 2𝑛 − 1

1
Example 2: Solve the following 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 1, 𝑛 ≥ 2, 𝑐

Solution: consider 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 1

𝑎𝑛−1 = 2𝑎𝑛−2 + 1
𝑎𝑛−2 = 2𝑎𝑛−3 + 1
𝑎𝑛−3 = 2𝑎𝑛−4 + 1
and so on 𝑎𝑛−1 = 2𝑎𝑛−2 + 1
Thus 𝑎𝑛 = 2(2𝑎𝑛−2 + 1) + 1 = 22 𝑎𝑛−2 + 2 + 1
𝑎𝑛 = 22 (2𝑎𝑛−3 + 1) + 2 + 1 = 23 𝑎𝑛−2 + 22 + 2 + 1
𝑎𝑛 = 24 𝑎𝑛−4 + 23 + 22 + 2 + 1
𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛−1 𝑎1 + [2𝑛−2 + 2𝑛−3 + ⋯ + 23 + 22 + 2 + 1]
It is the pattern

𝑛−1
1 − 2𝑛−2+1
𝑎𝑛 = 2 𝑎1 ( )
1−2
𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛−1 (3 + 1) − 1
𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛−1 (22 ) − 1
𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛−1 (22 ) − 1 is the required ′𝑛′th term.
Exercises 1:
1. Let 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑎𝑛−2 with 𝑎0 = 1 and 𝑎1 = 1. Find 𝑎2 , 𝑎3 , 𝑎4 and 𝑎5 .

2. Verify that the solution of the recurrence relation 𝑎𝑛 = 3𝑎𝑛−1 with 𝑎0 = 4 is 𝑎𝑛 = 4(3)𝑛 .

3. Verify that the solution of 𝑎𝑛 = 5𝑎𝑛−1 − 12 with 𝑎0 = 13 is 𝑎𝑛 = 10(5) 𝑛 + 3.

4.2 Linear recurrence relations with constant coefficient
Objectives:- On completion of this section the students will be able to:
 Define a linear recurrence relation with constant coefficient of degree 𝑘.
A wide variety of recurrence relations occur in models. Some of those recurrence relations can
be solved using iteration or some other technique. However, one important class of recurrence
relation can be explicitly solved in a systematic way. These are recurrence relations that express
the terms of the sequence as linear combination of previous terms.
Definition: A linear homogeneous recurrence relation of degree 𝑘 with constant coefficients is a
recurrence relation of the form

2
 𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐1 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑐2𝑎𝑛−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 = 𝑓 (𝑛) (3)

where 𝑐1 , 𝑐2, … , 𝑐𝑘 are real numbers, and 𝑐𝑘 ≠ 0. If 𝑓(𝑛) is identically zero (𝑓(𝑛) = 0) in the
recurrence relation (3) defined above, then the recurrence relation (3) is called homogeneous,
otherwise it is called nonhomogeneous.
Example 1:
a) 𝑎𝑛 + 6𝑎𝑛−1 = 0 is linear homogeneous recurrence relation with constant coefficient of
degree (order) 1.
b) 𝑎𝑛 − 5𝑎𝑛−1 + 6𝑎𝑛−2 = 0 is linear homogeneous recurrence relation with constant
coefficient of degree (order) 2.

Example 2: Determine which of these are linear homogenous recurrence relations with constant
coefficients. Also, find the degree of these that are.

a) 𝑎𝑛 = 3𝑎𝑛−1 + 4𝑎𝑛−2 + 6𝑎𝑛−3

Yes, degree is 3

b) 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑎𝑛−2

No, 2𝑛 is not a constant coefficient

c) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑎𝑛−4

Yes, degree is 4

d) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑎 + 2

No. This is nonhomogeneous because of the 2.

2
e) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑎𝑛−2
f) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−2
g) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑛

Exercise 2! 𝒆, 𝒇 and 𝒈 are left for students

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4.3 Solutions of linear recurrence relations

The recurrence is linear because the all the “𝑎𝑛 ” terms are just the terms (not raised to some
power nor are they part of some function). So 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 is linear but 𝑎𝑛 = 2(𝑎𝑛−1 )2is not.

 It is homogeneous because all terms are multiples of some previous value of 𝑎𝑛 . So 𝑎𝑛 =

2𝑎𝑛−1 is homogeneous, but 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 1 is not.
 It is of degree k because 𝑎𝑛 is expressed in terms of the last 𝑘 terms of the sequence.
 And it has constant coefficients because all the c terms are constants (not a function of 𝑛).
Example 1: Find the solution of the recurrence relation
𝑎𝑛 − 5𝑎𝑛−1 = 0
with initial condition 𝑎0 = 7
Solution: The general solution is 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼(5𝑛 ) .
Since 𝑎0 = 7, ⟹ 𝑎0 = 𝛼(50 ) = 7
Thus,
𝛼 = 7 and hence the solution is 𝑎𝑛 = 7(5𝑛 ).
Example 2: Solve these recurrence relations together with the initial conditions given.

a) 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛 ≥ 1, 𝑎𝑛 = 3

Characteristic equation: 𝑟 – 2 = 0 Characteristic root: 𝑟 = 2

By using Theorem 3 with 𝑘 = 1, we have 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼2𝑛 for some constant 𝛼. To find 𝛼, we can
use the initial condition, 𝑎0 = 3, to find it.

3 = 𝛼20
3 = 𝛼. 1
3=𝛼

So our solution to the recurrence relation is 𝑎𝑛 = 3 · 2𝑛 .

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 b) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛 ≥ 1, 𝑎0 = 2

Characteristic equation: 𝑟 − 1 = 0 Characteristic root: 𝑟 = 1 Use Theorem 3 with 𝑘 = 1

like before, 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1𝑛 for some constant 𝛼. Find 𝛼.

2 = 𝛼10
2=𝛼

So the solution is 𝑎𝑛 = 2. 1𝑛 . But we can simplify this since 1𝑛 = 1 for any n, so our solution
is 𝑎𝑛 = 2 for any 𝑛.

4.4 Solutions of homogeneous and non - homogeneous recurrence relations

4.4.1 Solving linear homogeneous recurrence relation with constant Coefficient

The basic approach for solving linear homogeneous recurrence relations is to look for the
solutions of the form 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑟 𝑛 , where 𝑟 is constant. Note that 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑟 𝑛 is the solution of the
recurrence relation
𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐1𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑐2 𝑎𝑛−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 = 0 (4)
if and only if
𝑟 𝑛 + 𝑐1𝑟 𝑛−1 + 𝑐2 𝑟 𝑛−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘 𝑟 𝑛−𝑘 = 0

When both side of the equation is divided by 𝑟 𝑛−𝑘 we obtain the equation
𝑟 𝑘 + 𝑐1 𝑟 𝑘−1 + 𝑐2 𝑟 𝑘−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘−1 𝑟 + 𝑐𝑘 = 0 (5)

Consequently the sequence (𝑎𝑛 )∞ 𝑛

𝑛=0 with 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑟 is the solution if and only if 𝑟 is the solution

of the last equation (5), which is called the characteristic equation of the recurrence relation
(4). The solutions of the characteristic equation (5) are called characteristic roots of the
recurrence relation (4). As we will see, these characteristic roots can be used to give an explicit
formula for all the solutions of the recurrence relation (4).
Let us first see the rule to find all the possible solutions (general solution) homogeneous
recurrence relation with constant coefficients of degree 1.
All the possible solutions or general solution to the linear homogenous recurrence relation with
constant coefficient of degree 1
𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐𝑎𝑛−1 = 0
is 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼 (−𝑐 )𝑛 , where 𝛼 is a constant.

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Theorem 1: Consider a linear homogeneous recurrence relation with constant coefficient of
degree 2
𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐1𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑐2 𝑎𝑛−2 = 0 (6)
for 𝑛 ≥ 2, where 𝑐1 and 𝑐2 are constants, and consider its characteristic equation
𝑟 2 + 𝑐1 𝑟 + 𝑐2 = 0 (7)
Case 1: If the characteristic equation (7) has two distinct roots 𝑟1 and 𝑟2 , then the sequence
{𝑎𝑛 }∞
𝑛=0 is the solution of the recurrence relation (6) if and only if

𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 𝑟1𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑟2𝑛
Where 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 are constants.

Example 1: Find the general solution of

𝑎𝑛 − 𝑎𝑛−1 − 2𝑎𝑛−2 = 0 , for 𝑛 ≥ 2

Solution: The characteristic equation of the given recurrence relation is 𝑟 2 − 𝑟 − 2 = 0. Then,

find the roots of the characteristic equation using quadratic formula

𝑟2 − 𝑟 − 2 = 0

⇒ (𝑟 + 1)(𝑟 − 2) = 0

So 𝑟 = −1 and 𝑟 = 2. Thus, the characteristic equation has two distinct roots 𝑟 = −1 and 𝑟 = 2
Hence, the general solution is

𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 (−1)𝑛 + 𝛼2 (2)𝑛
Where 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 are constants.

Example 2: Find the solution of

𝑎𝑛 = −7𝑎𝑛−1 − 12𝑎𝑛−2 , for 𝑛 ≥ 2

with initial condition 𝑎0 = 0 and 𝑎1 = 5.

Solution:

𝑎𝑛 = −7𝑎𝑛−1 − 12𝑎𝑛−2

⇒ 𝑎𝑛 + 7𝑎𝑛−1 + 12𝑎𝑛−2 = 0

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Thus, the characteristic equation is

𝑟 2 + 7𝑟 + 12 = 0

and finding the roots of the characteristic equation using quadratic formula or factorization, we
have 𝑟 = −3 and 𝑟 = −4 . Hence, the general solution is

𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 (−3)𝑛 + 𝛼2 (−4)𝑛
Where 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 are constants.

Putting 𝑛 = 0 and 𝑛 = 1 in 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 (−3)𝑛 + 𝛼2 (−4)𝑛 and using the initial conditions gives, we
have

𝛼1 + 𝛼2 = 0

−3𝛼1 − 4𝛼2 = 5

Solving these gives 𝛼1 = 5 and 𝛼2 = −5.

Hence,

𝑎𝑛 = 5(−3)𝑛 − 5(−4)𝑛
is the solution.

Example 3: What is the solution of the recurrence relation

𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 2𝑎𝑛−2

with 𝑎0 = 2 and 𝑎1 = 7?

Solution: The characteristic equation of a recurrence relation is 𝑟 2 − 𝑟 − 2 = 0

𝑟1 = −1 and 𝑟2 = 2

It follow that the solution of the equation is 𝑎𝑛 = 𝐶1 (−1)𝑛 + 𝐶2 2𝑛 . Since 𝑎0 = 2 and 𝑎1 = 7,

we have that 2 = 𝑎0 = 𝐶1 + 𝐶2 and 7 = −𝐶1 + 2𝐶2 . Therefore, 𝐶2 = 3 and 𝐶1 = −1. We
conclude that

𝑎𝑛 = (−1)𝑛+1 + 3 ∙ 2𝑛 .

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Example 4: Solve the recurrence relation 𝑎𝑛 = 5𝑎𝑛−1 − 6𝑎𝑛−2 , 𝑛 ≥ 2, 𝑎0 = 1, 𝑎1 = 5.
Solution: 1) Rewriting the recurrence relation 𝑎𝑛 − 5𝑎𝑛−1 + 6𝑎𝑛−2 = 0, the characteristic
equation is 𝑟 2 − 5𝑟 + 6 = 0.
The roots are 𝑟1 = 2 and 𝑟2 = 3 we have the general solution
𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 𝑟1𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑟2𝑛
(for constants 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 ) to the recurrence 𝑎𝑛 = 5𝑎𝑛−1 − 6𝑎𝑛−2 .
Using 𝑎0 = 1 and 𝑎1 = 5, we get a specific solution. From the first initial condition we get,
1 = 𝑎0 = 𝛼1 (20 ) + 𝛼2 (30 ) = 𝛼1 + 𝛼2 .
From the second, we get 5 = 𝑎1 = 𝛼1 (2) + 𝛼2 (3) = 2𝛼1 + 3𝛼2 .
Solving these, we get 𝛼2 = 3 and 𝛼1 = −2. So the specific solution to our recurrence
relation is
𝑎𝑛 = −2(2𝑛 ) + 3(3𝑛 ) = −2𝑛+1 + 3𝑛+1
Example 5: Solve the recurrence relation 𝑎𝑛 = 7𝑎𝑛−1 − 10𝑎𝑛−2 = 0 with 𝑎0 = 2 and 𝑎1 = 3.
Solution: Rewrite the recurrence relation 𝑎𝑛 = 7𝑎𝑛−1 − 10𝑎𝑛−2 = 0 . Now form the characteristic
equation:

𝑟 2 − 7𝑟 − 10 = 0

and solve for 𝑟:

(𝑟 − 2)(𝑟 − 5) = 0

So 𝑟1 = 2 and 𝑟2 = 5 are the characteristic roots. We therefore know that the solution to the
recurrence relation will have the form

𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 2𝑛 + 𝛼2 5𝑛

To find 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 , plug in 𝑛 = 0 and 𝑛 = 1 to get a system of two equations with two
unknowns:

2 = 𝛼1 20 + 𝛼2 50 = 𝛼1 + 𝛼2

3 = 𝛼1 21 + 𝛼2 51 = 2𝛼1 + 5𝛼2

7 1
Solving this system gives 𝑎 = 3 and 𝑏 = − 3 so the solution to the recurrence relation is

8
 7 1
𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛 − 5𝑛
3 3

Case II: If the characteristic equation (7) has only one root 𝑟0 , then the sequence {𝑎𝑛 }∞
𝑛=0 is the

solution of the recurrence relation (6) if and only if

𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 𝑟0𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑛𝑟0𝑛

Where 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 are constants.

Example 6: Solve 𝑎𝑛 = 6𝑎𝑛−1 − 9𝑎𝑛−2, where 𝑎0 = 3 and 𝑎1 = 10.

Solution: The characteristic equation 𝑟 2 − 6𝑟 + 9 = (𝑟 − 3)2 = 0 has double root 3.
Solution is then given by
𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 𝑟0𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑛𝑟0𝑛
𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 3𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑛3𝑛
is a solution for all 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 . This is our general solution. Using the initial conditions, we can
solve the specific solution
𝑎0 = 𝛼1 𝑟00 + 𝛼2 (0)𝑟00 = 𝛼1 30 = 𝛼1 = 3
𝑎1 = 𝛼1 𝑟01 + 𝛼2 (𝑛)𝑟01 = 𝛼1 31 + 𝛼2 (1)31 = 𝛼1 ∙ 3 + 𝛼2 ∙ 3 = 3 ∙ 3 + 3 ∙ 𝛼2 = 10
1
3 ∙ 𝛼2 = 1 ⇒ 𝛼2 =
3
The specific solution is
𝑎𝑛 = 3𝑛+1 + 𝑛3𝑛−1 .

Case III: If the characteristic equation (7) has complex root, then the sequence {𝑎𝑛 }∞
𝑛=0 is the

solution of the recurrence relation (6) if and only if

𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 (1 + 𝑖 )𝑛 + 𝛼2 (1 − 𝑖 )𝑛
Where 𝛼1 and 𝛼2 are constants.

Example 7: Solve the recurrence relation 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 − 2𝑎𝑛−2 with initial conditions 𝑎0 =
𝑎1 = 1.
Solution: There characteristic equation is 𝑟 2 − 2𝑟 + 2 = 0, which has roots
𝑟 = 1 ± √−1 = 1 ± 𝑖
So our general solution is
𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 (1 + 𝑖 )𝑛 + 𝛼2 (1 − 𝑖 )𝑛

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We now find the specific solution. For one, we have 1 =𝑎0 = 𝛼1 + 𝛼2 ,
so 𝛼2 = 1 − 𝛼1. From the second initial condition, we have
𝑎1 = 1 = 𝛼1 (1 + 𝑖 ) + 𝛼2 (1 − 𝑖 ) = 𝛼1 (1 + 𝑖 ) + (1 − 𝛼1 )(1 − 𝑖 ) = 2𝛼1 𝑖 + 1 − 𝑖
1
Solving give 𝛼1 = 𝛼2 = , so we get the specific solution
2
1 1
𝑎𝑛 = (1 + 𝑖 )𝑛 + (1 − 𝑖 )𝑛
2 2
 Summary of general solutions

Theorem Degree Characteristic Roots General Solution

1 2 𝑟1 ≠ 𝑟2 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 𝑟1𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑟2𝑛

2 2 𝑟0 with multiplicity 2 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 𝑟0𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑛𝑟0𝑛

3 2 𝑟 = 𝛼 ± 𝑖𝛽 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 (1 + 𝑖 )𝑛 + 𝛼2 (1 − 𝑖 )𝑛

4 K 𝑘 distinct roots 𝑟1 , 𝑟2 , … 𝑟𝑘 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 𝑟1𝑛 + 𝛼2 𝑟2𝑛 +…+𝛼𝑘 𝑟𝑘𝑛

4.4.2 Solving linear nonhomogeneous recurrence relation with constant coefficient

Objectives:- On completion of this section the students will be able to:
 Solve linear nonhomogeneous recurrence relation with constant coefficient.
Definition: A linear nonhomogeneous recurrence relation with constant coefficients is a
recurrence relation of the form:

𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐1 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑐2 𝑎𝑛−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 = 𝑓(𝑛)

where 𝑐1 , 𝑐2, … , 𝑐𝑘 are constants and 𝑐𝑘 ≠ 0 and 𝑓(𝑛) is a function not identically zero
depending only on 𝑛. The recurrence relation

𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐1𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑐2 𝑎𝑛−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 = 0

is called the associated homogenous recurrence relation. It plays an important role in the solution
of the nonhomogeneous recurrence relation.

Example 1: The following are linear nonhomogeneous recurrence relations with constant
coefficients:

10
 1) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 2𝑛
2) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑎𝑛−2 + 𝑛2 + 𝑛 + 1
3) 𝑎𝑛 = 3𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑛3𝑛
4) 𝑎𝑛 =𝑎𝑛−1 +𝑎𝑛−2 +𝑎𝑛−3 +𝑛!
Theorem 2: Consider the linear nonhomogeneous recurrence relations with constant coefficients
of degree 𝑘
𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐1 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑐2 𝑎𝑛−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 = 𝑓(𝑛)

and its associated homogenous recurrence relation

𝑎𝑛 + 𝑐1𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑐2 𝑎𝑛−2 + ⋯ + 𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 = 0

(𝑝) (ℎ) (𝑝)

Then every solution of the recurrence relation (12) is of the form {𝑎𝑛 + 𝑎𝑛 }, where 𝑎𝑛 is the
(ℎ)
particular solution of the recurrence relation (12) and 𝑎𝑛 is the solution of the recurrence
relation (13).

In order to solve this, we are going to take three steps:

 Solve the associated homogeneous recurrent relation (that is the one that doesn’t have
that 𝑓(𝑛) term!)
 Find a “particular” solution based on 𝑓(𝑛).
 Add those two results.
Example 2: Find a particular solution of the recurrence relation

𝑎𝑛 − 4𝑎𝑛−1 = − 15 , 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛 ≥ 1

Solution: The given recurrence relation is of the form 𝑎𝑛 − 4𝑎𝑛−1 = 𝑓(𝑛) , where 𝑓(𝑛) = −15.
(𝑝)
We choose particular solution 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑞, where 𝑞 is a constant. Then, we have to find 𝑞 by
(𝑝)
substituting 𝑎𝑛 in to the given recurrence relation, that is

(𝑝) (𝑝)
𝑎𝑛 − 4𝑎𝑛−1 = −15

(𝑝) (𝑝)
Observe that 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑞 and 𝑎𝑛−1 = 𝑞. Thus, we have −4𝑞 = − 15.

⟹ −3𝑞 = −15 ⟹ 𝑞 = 5

(𝑝)
Hence, 𝑎𝑛 =5 is the particular solution of the recurrence relation.

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Example 3: Solve 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 + 7 ∙ 5𝑛 for 𝑛 ≥ 1 and 𝑎0 = 4.

Solution: First we find the general solution to the corresponding homogeneous recurrence 𝑎𝑛 −
2𝑎𝑛−1 = 0. This has characteristic equation 𝑟 − 2 = 0 which has root 𝑟 = 2 so we have the
general solution
(ℎ)
𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 · 2𝑛 .
Now we want a particular solution to 𝑎𝑛 − 2𝑎𝑛−1 = 7 ∙ 5𝑛 . Lets guess that there is one of the
form 𝐶5𝑛 . Plugging into the recurrence relation, we get
𝐶5𝑛 − 2𝐶 ∙ 5𝑛−1 = 7 ∙ 5𝑛
35
which is true if and only if 𝐶 · 5 − 2𝐶 = 35, 𝑜𝑟 𝐶 = . So
3

(𝑝) 35 𝑛
𝑎𝑛 = 5
3
is a solution to the recurrence.
The general solution to the recurrence is thus
(ℎ) (𝑝) 35 𝑛
𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛 + 𝑎𝑛 = 𝛼1 · 2𝑛 + 5
3
Using the initial conditions we now find the specific solution. We have
35 35
4 =𝑎0 = 𝛼1 · (20 ) + (50 ) = 𝛼1 + ,
3 3

which gives
23
𝛼1 = − 3 .

The specific solution is thus

35 𝑛 23 1
𝑎𝑛 = ( ) 5 − ( ) 2𝑛 = (35 ∙ 5𝑛 − 23 ∙ 2𝑛 )
3 3 3
Exercise 3: Find the solution of the recurrence relation 𝑎𝑛 = 3𝑎𝑛−1 + 2𝑛 with 𝑎1 = 3.

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