An geometric sequence or progression, is a sequence where each term is calculated by multiplying the previous term by a fixed number. Show Geometric SequencesThis fixed number is called the common ratio, r. The common ratio can be calculated by dividing any term by the one before it. The first term of a geometric sequence is shown by the variable a.
General Term, tn A geometric sequence can be written:
Geometric SeriesIf terms of a geometric sequence are added together a geometric series is formed. 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 is a finite geometric series To find the sum of the first n terms of a geometric sequence use the formula:
OR If the common ratio is a fraction i.e. -1 < r < 1 then an equivalent formula, shown below is easier to use.
Example What is the sum of the first 10 terms of the geometric sequence: 3, 6, 12, ...
The Sum to Infinity of a Geometric SequenceSpreadsheets are very useful for generating sequences and series. For a geometric sequence with a common ratio greater than 1:
It can be seen that as successive terms are added the sum of the terms increases. For a geometric sequence with a common ratio less than 1:
It can be seen that as successive terms are added the sum of the terms appears to be heading towards 16. This is called the sum to infinity of a geometric sequence and only applies when the common ratio is a fraction i.e. -1 < r < +1. The following formula can be used:
Example Find the sum to infinity of the geometric sequence 8, 4, 2, 1, ...
As can be seen from cell D10 in the spreadsheet above, 16 is the value the sums were heading towards. To see this concept clearly illustrated -
A Sequence is a set of things (usually numbers) that are in order. Geometric SequencesIn a Geometric Sequence each term is found by multiplying the previous term by a constant.
This sequence has a factor of 2 between each number. Each term (except the first term) is found by multiplying the previous term by 2. In General we write a Geometric Sequence like this: {a, ar, ar2, ar3, ... } where:
The sequence starts at 1 and doubles each time, so
And we get: {a, ar, ar2, ar3, ... } = {1, 1×2, 1×22, 1×23, ... } = {1, 2, 4, 8, ... } But be careful, r should not be 0:
The RuleWe can also calculate any term using the Rule:
xn = ar(n-1) (We use "n-1" because ar0 is for the 1st term)
This sequence has a factor of 3 between each number. The values of a and r are:
The Rule for any term is: xn = 10 × 3(n-1) So, the 4th term is: x4 = 10×3(4-1) = 10×33 = 10×27 = 270 And the 10th term is: x10 = 10×3(10-1) = 10×39 = 10×19683 = 196830 A Geometric Sequence can also have smaller and smaller values:
This sequence has a factor of 0.5 (a half) between each number. Its Rule is xn = 4 × (0.5)n-1 Why "Geometric" Sequence?Because it is like increasing the dimensions in geometry:
Geometric Sequences are sometimes called Geometric Progressions (G.P.’s) Summing a Geometric SeriesTo sum these: a + ar + ar2 + ... + ar(n-1) (Each term is ark, where k starts at 0 and goes up to n-1) We can use this handy formula: a is the first term r is the "common ratio" between terms n is the number of terms
What is that funny Σ symbol? It is called Sigma Notation
And below and above it are shown the starting and ending values: It says "Sum up n where n goes from 1 to 4. Answer=10 The formula is easy to use ... just "plug in" the values of a, r and n
This sequence has a factor of 3 between each number. The values of a, r and n are:
So: Becomes: You can check it yourself: 10 + 30 + 90 + 270 = 400 And, yes, it is easier to just add them in this example, as there are only 4 terms. But imagine adding 50 terms ... then the formula is much easier. Using the FormulaLet's see the formula in action:
On the page Binary Digits we give an example of grains of rice on a chess board. The question is asked: When we place rice on a chess board:
... doubling the grains of rice on each square ... ... how many grains of rice in total? So we have:
So: Becomes: = 1−264−1 = 264 − 1 = 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 Which was exactly the result we got on the Binary Digits page (thank goodness!) And another example, this time with r less than 1:
The values of a, r and n are:
So: Becomes: Very close to 1. (Question: if we continue to increase n, what happens?) Why Does the Formula Work?Let's see why the formula works, because we get to use an interesting "trick" which is worth knowing.
First, call the whole sum "S": S = a + ar + ar2 + ... + ar(n−2)+ ar(n−1) Next, multiply S by r:S·r = ar + ar2 + ar3 + ... + ar(n−1) + arn Notice that S and S·r are similar? Now subtract them! Wow! All the terms in the middle neatly cancel out. By subtracting S·r from S we get a simple result: Let's rearrange it to find S:
Factor out S and a:S(1−r) = a(1−rn) Divide by (1−r):S = a(1−rn) (1−r) Which is our formula (ta-da!): Infinite Geometric SeriesSo what happens when n goes to infinity? We can use this formula: But be careful:
r must be between (but not including) −1 and 1 and r should not be 0 because the sequence {a,0,0,...} is not geometric So our infnite geometric series has a finite sum when the ratio is less than 1 (and greater than −1) Let's bring back our previous example, and see what happens:
We have:
And so: = ½×1½ = 1 Yes, adding 12 + 14 + 18 + ... etc equals exactly 1.
Recurring DecimalOn another page we asked "Does 0.999... equal 1?", well, let us see if we can calculate it:
We can write a recurring decimal as a sum like this: And now we can use the formula: Yes! 0.999... does equal 1. So there we have it ... Geometric Sequences (and their sums) can do all sorts of amazing and powerful things. Copyright © 2017 MathsIsFun.com |