GE 4

MATHEMATICS
IN THE MODERN
WORLD
1 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
 Lord, in our weakness and vulnerability, bless
us with your grace to soar beyond limits.
Enlighten our vision and guide our mission
that we may clearly see and fully realize our
quest. Keep our passion for the truth burning
and our compassion for humanity bright that
we may live truly and lovingly.

2 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 Keep us in harmony with the universe that we
may be joyfully one with your creation. Yet
above and before all, Lord, grant us the grace
to love you with all our mind and soul and
with all our heart and strength that we may
praise, bless and preach according to your
will.

3 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 Make us, Legazpi Thomasians, whole as a
person and as a community in Your wondrous
Name, this we ask and pray with a happy and
grateful memory. Amen.

4 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 MATHEMATICS IN THE
MODERN WORLD

Explicit Sequences
and Series
5 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
 Sequences

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

6 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Sequences

In mathematics, a sequence is a succession of numbers,

called terms, that follow a given rule. For example:
9, 16, 25, 36, 49, …
is a sequence of square numbers starting with 9.
A sequence can be infinite, as shown by the … at the end of
the sequence shown above, or it can be finite. For example:
3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96
is a finite sequence containing six terms.
A sequence can be defined by:
a formula for the nth term of the sequence, or
a recurrence relation together with the first term of the
sequence.

7 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 The formula for the nth term

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

8 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The formula for the nth term

The nth term, or the general term, of a sequence is often

given using superscript (or suffix) notation as un.
The 1st term is then called u1,
the 2nd term is u2,
the 3rd term is u3,
the 4th term is u4,
the 5th term is u5 and so on.
Letters other than u can be used. For example, the terms in a
sequence could also be given by t1, t2, t3, t4, … tn.
Any term in a sequence can be found by substituting its
position number into a given formula for un.

9 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The formula for the nth term

For example, the formula for the nth term of a sequence is

given by un = 4n – 5.

Find the first five terms in the sequence.

u1 = 4 × 1 – 5 = –1
u2 = 4 × 2 – 5 = 3
u3 = 4 × 3 – 5 = 7
u4 = 4 × 4 – 5 = 11
u5 = 4 × 5 – 5 = 15

The first five terms in the sequence are: –1, 3, 7, 11 and 15.

10 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 Recurrence relations

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

11 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Recurrence relations

This sequence can also be defined by a recurrence relation.

To define a sequence using a recurrence relation we need the
value of the first term and an expression relating each term to a
previous term.
For the sequence –1, 3, 7, 11, 15, …, each term can be found
by adding 4 to the previous term.
We can write: u1 = –1
u2 = u1 + 4 = 3
u3 = u2 + 4 = 7
u4 = u3 + 4 = 11 and so on.
In general: un+1 = un + 4

12 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Recurrence relations

A recurrence relation together with the first term of a

sequence is called an inductive definition.
So the inductive definition for the sequence –1, 3, 7, 11, 15, …
is u1 = –1, un+1 = un + 4.
A sequence is given by the recurrence relation un+1 = 2un + 1
with u1 = 3. Write down the first five terms of the sequence.
u1 = 3
u2 = (2 × 3) + 1 = 7
u3 = (2 × 7) + 1 = 15
u4 = (2 × 15) + 1 = 31
u5 = (2 × 31) + 1 = 63
So the first five terms in the sequence are 3, 7, 15, 31 and 63.

13 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 Arithmetic sequences

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

14 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Arithmetic sequences

In an arithmetic sequence (or arithmetic progression) the

difference between any two consecutive terms is always the
same. This is called the common difference.
For example, the sequence:
8, 11, 14, 17, 20, …
is an arithmetic sequence with 3 as the common difference.
We could write this sequence as:
8, 8 + 3, 8 + 3 + 3, 8 + 3 + 3 + 3, 8 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3, …
or
8, 8 + 3, 8 + (2 × 3), 8 (3 × 3), 8 + (4 × 3), …

15 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Arithmetic sequences

If we call the first term of an arithmetic sequence a and the

common difference d we can write a general arithmetic
sequence as:

a, a + d, a + 2d, a + 3d, a + 4d, …

The nth term of an arithmetic sequence with first

term a and common difference d is
a + (n – 1)d
Also:
The inductive definition of an arithmetic sequence
with first term a and common difference d is
u1 = a, un+1 = un + d

16 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Arithmetic sequences

What is the formula for the nth term of the

sequence 10, 7, 4, 1, –2 …?
This is an arithmetic sequence with first term a = 10 and
common difference d = –3.
The nth term is given by a + (n – 1)d so:
un = 10 – 3(n – 1)
= 10 – 3n + 3
= 13 – 3n
Let’s check this formula for the first few terms in the sequence:
u1 = 13 – 3 × 1 = 10
u2 = 13 – 3 × 2 = 7
u3 = 13 – 3 × 3 = 4
17 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Arithmetic sequences

Find the number of terms in the finite

arithmetic sequence –7, –1, 5, … 71.
This is an arithmetic sequence with first term a = –7 and
common difference d = 6.
The nth term is given by a + (n – 1)d so:
un = –7 + 6(n – 1)
= –7 + 6n – 6
= 6n – 13
We can find the value of n for the last term by solving:
6n – 13 = 71
6n = 84
n = 14
So, there are 14 terms in the sequence.
18 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Arithmetic sequences

The 4th term in an arithmetic sequence is 12 and the 20th term

is 92. What is the formula for the nth term of this sequence?
Using the 4th term: a + 3d = 12
Using the 20th term: a + 19d = 92
Subtracting the first equation from the second equation gives:
16d = 80
d=5
Substitute this into the first equation:
a + 15 = 12
a = –3
The nth term of an arithmetic sequence with a = –3 and d = 5 is:
un = –3 + 5(n –1)
= –3 + 5n – 5
= 5n – 8
19 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
 Arithmetic series

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

20 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Series

The sum of all the terms of a sequence is called a series.

For example:
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, … is a sequence
while: 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 + … is a series.
When the difference between each term in a series is constant,
as in this example, the series is called an arithmetic series or
arithmetic progression (AP for short).
The sum of a series containing n terms is often denoted by Sn,
so for the series given above we could write:
S5 = 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9
= 25
When n is large, a more systematic approach for calculating the
sum of a given number of terms is required.

21 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Gauss’ method

It is said that when the famous mathematician Karl Friedrich

Gauss was a young boy at school, his teacher asked the class
to add together every whole number from one to a hundred.

The teacher expected this activity to keep the class occupied

for some time and so he was amazed when Gauss put up his
hand and gave the answer, 5050, almost immediately!

22 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Gauss’ method

Gauss worked the answer out by noticing that you can quickly
add together consecutive numbers by writing the numbers
once in order and once in reverse order and adding them
together.
So to add the numbers from 1 to 100:
S= 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + … + 98 + 99 + 100
S= 100 + 99 + 98 + 97 + 96 + … + 3 + 2 + 1
2S = 101 + 101 + 101 + 101 + 101 + … + 101 + 101 + 101

So: 2S = 100 × 101

= 10 100
S = 5050

23 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

To find the sum of an arithmetic series: if first
and last terms of the series are given.

a1  an 
n 
2

24 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 The sum of the first n natural numbers

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

25 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The sum of the first n natural numbers

To find the sum of the first n natural numbers we can

generalize Gauss’ method as follows.
Write the sum of the first n natural numbers as:
S= 1 + 2 + 3 + … + (n – 2) + (n –1) + n
S= n + (n –1) + (n – 2) + … + 3 + 2 + 1
2S = (n + 1) + (n + 1) + (n + 1) + … + (n + 1) + (n + 1) + (n + 1)
This gives us:
2S = n(n + 1)
So:
The sum of the first n natural numbers is given by
2 n( n +1)
1

26 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The sum of the first n natural numbers

What is the sum of the first 30 natural numbers?

1 + 2 + 3 + … + 30 = 21 × 30 × 31

= 465

What is the sum of the natural numbers from 21 to 30?

21 + 22 + 23 + … + 30 = (1 + 2 + … + 30) – (1 + 2 + … + 20)
= 465  1
2 × 20 × 21

= 465 – 210

= 255

27 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 The sum of an arithmetic series

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

28 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The sum of an arithmetic series

Gauss’ method can be applied to any arithmetic series of the

general form
a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + (a +3d) + … + (a + (n – 1)d)
where a is the first term in the series, d is the common
difference and n is the number of terms.
Let’s call the last term l so that:
l = (a + (n – 1)d)
The sum of the first n terms can now be written as:
Sn = a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + … + (l – 2d) + (l – d) + l
Sn = l + (l – d) + (l – 2d) + … +(a + 2d)+ (a + d) + a
2Sn= (a + l) + (a + l) + (a + l) + … + (a + l) + (a + l) + (a + l)

29 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The sum of an arithmetic series

This gives us: 2Sn = n(a + l)

So:

The sum of the first n terms in an arithmetic series is

n
Sn = (a + l )
2
where a is the first term and l is the last.

If the last term is not known this formula can be written in terms
of a and n by substituting (a + (n – 1)d) for l in the above.

An alternative formula for the sum of an arithmetic series is

then:
n
Sn = (2a + (n  1)d )
2

30 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The sum of an arithmetic series

Find the sum of the first 20 terms of the arithmetic series

5 + 11 + 17 + 23 + …

We don’t know the last term so we can use:

n
Sn = (2a + (n  1)d )
2
with a = 5, d = 6 and n = 20.
20
S20 = (2 × 5 + 19 × 6)
2
S20 = 10(10 + 114)
= 1240

31 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 Using Σ notation

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

32 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Using Σ notation

When working with series, the Greek symbol Σ (the capital

letter sigma) is used to mean ‘the sum of’.
For example:
… and this is the last value of r.
n

r =1
ur

This is the first value of r …

represents a finite series containing n terms:

u1 + u2 + u3 + … + un
The terms in the series are obtained by substituting 1, 2, 3, …, n
in turn for r in ur.

33 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Using Σ notation

For example, suppose we want to find the sum of the first 4

terms of the series whose nth term is of the form 3n – 1.
We can write:
4

 3r  1 = (3 × 1 – 1) + (3 × 2 – 1) + (3 × 3 – 1) + (3 × 4 – 1)
r =1

= 2 + 5 + 8 + 11
The initial value of r doesn’t have to be 1. For example:
8

 = 32 + 42 + 52 + 62 + 72 + 82
r
r=3
2

Infinite series are given by writing an ∞ symbol above the Σ.

For example:

1 1 1 1

r =1 r +1
= + + + ...
2 3 4
34 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Using Σ notation
15
Evaluate  25  2r
r=2

Substituting r = 2, 3, 4, …,15 into 25 – 2r gives us the arithmetic

series 21 + 19 + 17 + 15 + … + –5.
There are 14 terms in this sequence because both r = 2 and
r = 15 are included.
We can evaluate this by putting a = 21, l = –5 and n = 14
into the formula
n
Sn = (a + l )
2
14
So: S14 = (21 +  5)
2
= 112
35 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
 Examination-style questions

Sequences
The formula for the nth term
Contents

Recurrence relations
Arithmetic sequences
Arithmetic series
The sum of the first n natural numbers
The sum of an arithmetic series
Using Σ notation
Examination-style questions

36 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Examination-style question

2 – 1 : 3d = 15
d=5
a=2
b) In general, for an arithmetic series un = a + (n – 1)d so
un = 2 + 5(n – 1)
= 5n – 3
c) u10 = (5 ×10) – 3
= 47
n
Now using the formula Sn = (a + l ) with a = 2 and l = 47:
2
10
S10 = (2 + 47)
2
= 245
37 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Examination-style question

The sum of the first 3 terms of an arithmetic series is 21 and

the sum of the next three terms is 66.
a) Find the value of the first term and the common difference.
b) Write an expression for the nth term of the series un.
c) Find the sum of the first 10 terms.
a) The sum of the first 3 terms can be written as:
a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) = 3a + 3d
So 3a + 3d = 21
a+d=7 1
The sum of the next 3 terms can be written as:
(a + 3d) + (a + 4d) + (a + 5d) = 3a + 12d
So 3a + 12d = 66
a + 4d = 22 2
38 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Geometric Sequences and Series
A sequence is geometric if the ratios of
consecutive terms are the same.
2, 8, 32, 128, 512, . . .
8 4 geometric
2 sequence
32 4
8
The common ratio, r, is 4.
128 4
32
512 4
128
39 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
 Example 1.
a. Is the sequence geometric? If so, what is r?
2, 4,8,16,...2 n ,...
4 8 16
2, 2, 2 r 2
2 4 8
b. Is the sequence geometric? If so, what is r?
n
1 1 1 1  1
 , , , ,...,    ,...
3 9 27 81  3 

1 1 1
 1
9  1 27  1 81  1 r 
1 3 1 3 1 3 3
 
3 9 27
40 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
The nth term of a geometric sequence has the form
an = a1r (n – 1)
where r is the common75ratio of consecutive terms of the
r  5
sequence. 15
a1 = 15
15, 75, 375, 1875, . . .
a2 = a3 = a4 =
15(5) 15(52) 15(53)

The nth term is 15(5n-1).

41 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Example 2. Write the first five terms of the geometric sequence whose first term is a1 3
and whose common ratio is r 2.

a1 3
a2 3 21 6
a3 3 22 12
a4 3 23 24
a5 3 24 48

42 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Example 3. Find a formula for the nth term of the following
geometric sequence. What is the ninth term of the sequence?
5, 15, 45, …
Find the common ratio
15 5 3 45 15 3

an 5 3
n 1

a9 5 3 32,805
8

43 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 125
Example 5. The 4th term of a geometric sequence is 125, and the 10th term is .
64
Find the 14th term. Assume that the terms of the sequence are positive.
10 4
a a r
10 4
125
125r 6
64
1
r 6
64
1
r
2
4 125  1 
4
125
a14 a10 r    
64  2  1024
44 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
The sum of the first n terms of a sequence is represented
by summation notation. upper limit of
n
summation
 a a  a
i 1
i 1 2  a3  a4    an

index of lower limit of

summation summation


n1
4 n
 1 2 3
4 4 4 4 4 4 5

4  16  64  256  1024
1364

45 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The sum of a finite geometric sequence is given by

 
n n
S n  a1r i 1
a1 1  r .
i 1
1 r
5 + 10 + 20 + 40 + 80 + 160 + 320 + 640 = ?

n=8
a1 = 5 r 10 2
5

S n a1 1 
1 r
r n
    
5 1 
1 2
28

1 2 1  
5 1  256 5  255 1275 

46 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 12
Example 6. Find the sum  4 0.3 Write out a few terms.
n

n1
12

 4 0.3 4 0.3  4 0.3  4 0.3  ...  4 0.3 

n 1 2 3 12

n1
a1 4 0.3  r 0.3 and n 12

12
 1 rn 
 4 0.3 a1 
n

n 1  1  r 
 1  0.312 
4 0.3   1.714
 1  0.3 

If the index began at i = 0, you would have to adjust

n
your formula
12 12 n 12

 4 0.3 
n
4 0.3 
0
  4 0.3 4   4 0.3
n1
4  1.714 5.714
i 0 n 1

47 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The sum of the terms of an infinite geometric
sequence is called a geometric series.
If |r| < 1, then the infinite geometric series

a1 + a1r + a1r2 + a1r3 + . . . + a1rn-1 + . . .


a1
has the sum S  a1r  . i

i 0
1 r

If r  1 , then the series does not have a sum.

48 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Example 7. Use a graphing calculator to find the first six partial
sums of the series. Then find the sum of the series.


 4 0.6 
n 1

n 1

4, 6.4, 7.84, 8.704, 9.2224, 9.53344

Use the formula for the sum of an infinite series to find the
sum.
4
S 10
1  0.6
Example 8. Find the sum of 3 + 0.3 + 0.03 + 0.003 + …,
49 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
EXAMPLES:
1. Suppose you drop a tennis ball from a height of 15 feet.
After the ball hits the floor, it rebounds to 85% of its
previous height. How high will the ball rebound after its third
bounce?
2. What is the sum of the sequence 0.5, 0.05, 0.005,
0.0005, and so on?
3. Does the infinite geometric series, 1/5 + 1/20 + 1/80 +
1/320 + … diverge or converge?
4. Does the infinite geometric series, 2 + 8 + 32 + 128 + …
diverge or converge?
5. A rope is swinging in such a way that the length of the
arc is decreasing geometrically. If the first arc is 18 feet long
and the third arc is 8 feet long, what is the length of the
second arc?
50 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
EXAMPLES:
1.Find the sum of the geometric sequence 2, ½, 1/8……..
2.What is the sum of the sequence 0.2, 0.02, 0.002, 0.0002,
and so on?
3.The first term of a geometric sequence is 300 and the
common ratio is 0.6. What is the 15th term of the
sequence? (round off in 4-decimal places)
4.The table shows a car’s value for three years
after it is purchased. The values form a geometric
sequence. How much will the car be worth after 8 years?
Year Value (P)
1 18,000
2 15,300
3 13,005

51 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

A Harmonic Progression is
a sequence of quantities
whose reciprocals form an
arithmetic progression.

52 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

There is no general method
of finding the sum of a
harmonic progression. “The
harmonic series does not have
a finite limit: it is a divergent
series.”

53 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Steps in Harmonic Sequence

Step 1: Reciprocate all the given terms.

Step 2: Identify whether the reciprocated

sequence is an Arithmetic Progression by
checking if a common difference exists in
the terms.

54 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

The Sequence

“a1 , a2 , … , an”

is a Harmonic Progression if

“1/a1 , 1/a2 , … , 1/an”

forms an Arithmetic Progression.

55 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Determine which of the following are Harmonic
Progressions.

1) 1 ,1/2 , 1/3 , 1/4 , ...

2) 1 , 1/4 , 1/5 , 1/7 , ...

56 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Step 1: Reciprocate all the given
terms.

* The reciprocals are: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,…

Step 2: Identify whether the reciprocated

sequence is an Arithmetic Progression
by checking if a common difference
exists in the terms.

57 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

Step 1: Reciprocate all the given
terms.

* The reciprocals are: 1 , 4 , 5 , 7 , …

Step 2: Identify whether the

reciprocated sequence is an
Arithmetic Progression by
checking if a common difference
exists in the terms.
58 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005
Determine if the given is Harmonic, if yes, then
find the next three terms.
1) 24 , 12 , 8 , 6 , …
Solution:
24 , 12 , 8 , 6 , …
= 1/24 , 1/12 , 1/8 , 1/6
* To find the common difference:
1/12 – 1/24 = 1/24
1/8 – 1/12 = 1/24
1/6 – 1/8 = 1/24

59 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

 To get the next three terms:
5th Term = 1/6 + 1/24
= 4/24 + 1/24
= 5/24
* Reciprocate
= 24/5

6th Term = 5/24 + 1/24 7th Term = 1/4 + 1/24

= 6/24 = 6/24 + 1/24
= 1/4 = 7/24
* Reciprocate * Reciprocate
=4 = 24/7

60 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

MEANS

61 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005

•FIN

62 of 37 © Boardworks Ltd 2005