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Week 2: Sequences and Series: Problems

The document summarizes the problems discussed at a math club meeting on sequences and series. Five regular problems were presented involving finding sums and terms of sequences and series. Two challenge problems were also included, such as finding the expected number of coin flips in a sequence and evaluating infinite sums. The answers to the problems were provided.

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74 views

Week 2: Sequences and Series: Problems

The document summarizes the problems discussed at a math club meeting on sequences and series. Five regular problems were presented involving finding sums and terms of sequences and series. Two challenge problems were also included, such as finding the expected number of coin flips in a sequence and evaluating infinite sums. The answers to the problems were provided.

Uploaded by

bob333
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Week 2: Sequences and Series

FHS Math Club

10/9/19

Problems
1. Five positive integers are written in increasing order, and the difference between adjacent terms is con-
stant. If the sum of the integers is 540, what is the maximum possible value of the largest integer?

2. The sum of 18 positive consecutive integers is a perfect square. Find the smallest possible value of
the sum.

3. An infinite geometric series has sum 2005. A new series, obtained by squaring each term of the original
series, has 10 times the sum of the original series. The common ratio of the original series is m
n where m and
n are relatively prime integers. Find m + n.

4. Two geometric sequences a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . and b1 , b2 , b3 . . . have the same common ratio, with a1 = 27,b1 = 99,
and a15 = b11 . Find a9 .

1 1 1 1
5. Evaluate the sum 4 + 28 + 70 + ... + 9700 .

6. Evaluate the sum √ 1√ + √ 1√ + √ 1√ + ··· + √ 1√


.
1+ 2 2+ 3 3+ 4 99+ 100

Challenge Problems
1. A fair coin is repeatedly flipped until the coin lands on the same face as it did on the first flip. Find the
expected number of coin flips.

2. Let F0 = 0, F1 = 1, and Fn = Fn−1 + Fn−2 . Find the value of the infinite sum: 1
3 + 91 + 27
2
+ · · · + F3nn + · · ·

3. Let a1 , a2 , ... , ak be a finite arithmetic sequence with a4 + a7 + a10 = 17 and a4 + a5 + a6 + a7 +


a8 + a9 + a10 + a11 + a12 + a13 + a14 = 77. If ak = 13, what is k?

4. Evaluate
∞
X n2
.
n=1
2n

1 1 1
5. Evaluate the sum 32 +1 + 42 +2 + 52 +3 + · · ·.

1
Answers

1. 214

2. 225

3. 803
33
4. 100

5. 9

1. 3 flips

2. 35

3. 18

4. 6

5. 13
36

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