Scribd
Upload
10 views11 pages

2.3geometric Sequences

The document explains geometric sequences, focusing on the common ratio and how to find terms using recursive and explicit formulas. It provides examples of calculating specific terms and sums of geometric sequences, including cases with positive and negative starting values. Additionally, it discusses the behavior of sums as the number of terms approaches infinity, depending on the common ratio's value.

Uploaded by

ahmdabdi177
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
10 views11 pages

2.3geometric Sequences

The document explains geometric sequences, focusing on the common ratio and how to find terms using recursive and explicit formulas. It provides examples of calculating specific terms and sums of geometric sequences, including cases with positive and negative starting values. Additionally, it discusses the behavior of sums as the number of terms approaches infinity, depending on the common ratio's value.

Uploaded by

ahmdabdi177
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 11

GEOMETRIC

SEQUENCES
Find A15 r=2

1, 2, 4, 8, 16 . . .
Notice in this sequence that if we find the ratio of any
term to the term before it (divide them) we always get 2.
2 is then called the common ratio and is denoted with the
letter r.
To get to the next term in the sequence we would
multiply by 2 so a recursive formula for this sequence is:

an 2an  1
EXAMPLE
FIND A2, UNTIL A7 WHEN A
COMMAND RATIO IS 5 AND A1 IS 6
BY USING TIS FORMULA BELOW

n 1
an ar
2 2 2 
2 r=2 a=1
1, 2, 4, 8, 16 . . .
Each time you want another term in the sequence you’d
multiply by r. This would mean the second term was the
first term times r. The third term is the first term
multiplied by r multiplied by r (r squared). The fourth term
is the first term multiplied by r multiplied by r multiplied
by r (r cubed). So you can see to get the nth term we’d
take the first term and multiply r (n - 1) times.
n 1
an ar
Try this to get the 5th term.

a5 12 
5 1
16
Let’s look at a formula for a geometric sequence and see
what it tells us.
you can see what the
common ratio will be
in the formula
 23  n 1
This factor gets us
started in the right
place. With n = 1 we’d
get -2 for the first term
Subbing in the set of positive integers we get:
What is the
-2, -6, -18, -54 … common r= 3
ratio?
3n-1 would generate the powers of 3. With
the - 2 in front, the first term would be
-2(30) =- 2. What would you do if you
wanted the sequence -4, -12, -36, -108, . . .?
 43 n 1
Find the nth term of the geometric sequence when a = -2 and r =4

If we use 4n-1 we will generate a sequence whose


common ratio is 4, but this sequence starts at 1 (put 1
in for n to get first term to see this). We want ours to
start at -2. We then need the “compensating factor”.
We need to multiply by -2.

 24  n 1

Check it out by putting in the first few positive


integers and verifying that it generates our
sequence.
Sure enough---it starts at -2
and has a common ratio of 4
-2, -8, -32, -128, . . .
Find the 8th term of 0.4, 0.04. 0.004, . . .

To find the common ratio,


n 1 take any term and divide it
an ar by the term in front

0.04
an 0.40.1 r 0.1
n 1
0.4

a8 0.40.1
8 1
0.00000004
If we want to add n terms in a geometric sequence, we
use the formula below:
number of terms
first term
n
1 r
S n a , r 0, 1
1 r
sum of n terms common ratio

15
15
1 3
Find the sum:  4 3 n 1
S15 4
n 1 1 3
4 + 12 + 36 + 108 + . . . + 4(3)14 = 28,697,812
n
1
Let’s look at the sum of the geometric sequence an  
 2
1 1 1 1 Let’s look at this on
    the number line
2 4 8 16
1 1 1 1
  
2 4 8 16

0 1
Each time we add another term we’d be going half the
distance left. As n   the sum  1.

means infinity
If the common ratio was not a fraction between -1 and 1,
then the sequence would keep getting larger and larger
and would   as n  . If the common ratio is a fraction
between -1 and 1, the sum as n   is as follows:


a first term

k 1
k1
ar 
1 r common ratio

Let’s try this for the previous sequence:


1 1 1 1 1 1
   
2 4 8 16
S   2  2 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 2 x x x
2 2 2 2
Let’s try one more:  k1
 1
 8 
k 1  3 

8a 8
S   12
1  r1 2
3 3

You might also like