Infinite Sequences and Series

Sequences:

A set of values or numbers with separators

between them that follows a specific rule called
the general rule (“𝑎𝑛 ”).

𝑎𝑛 = {1,4,9,16,25, … … }

𝑎𝑛 = {𝑛2 }∞
𝑛=1 𝑛 = 1,2,3,4, … ..

Series:

A series can be highly generalized as the sum of

all the terms in a sequence.

1 + 4 + 9 + 16 + 25 + ⋯ … ..

∑ 𝑛2
𝑛=1

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Ex: write the first 3 terms of the sequences

2𝑛 ∞
1) 𝑎𝑛 = { 2 }
𝑛 + 1 𝑛=1

4 3
𝑎𝑛 = {1 , , }
5 5

𝑎𝑛
2) 𝑎1 = 2 , 𝑎𝑛+1 =
1 + 𝑎𝑛

2 2
𝑎𝑛 = {2 , , }
3 5

Ex: find a formula for the general term 𝑎𝑛 of the sequence

1) { 5 , 8 , 11 , 14 , 17 , … … … }

𝑎𝑛 = {3𝑛 + 1}∞
𝑛=1

2
 3 8 15
2) { 0 , , , ,………}
5 10 17

∞
𝑛2 − 1
𝑎𝑛 = { 2 }
𝑛 + 1 𝑛=1

1 1 1
3) { 4 , −1 , ,− , ……}
4 16 64

(−1)𝑛 → 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒

(−1)𝑛+1 → 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒
1 −1 1 −1 1
{ , , , , ……}
4−1 40 41 42 43

∞
(−1)𝑛+1
𝑎𝑛 = { 𝑛−2 }
4 𝑛=1

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Monotonicity:
Sequence is always

Increasing decreasing

𝑎𝑛+1 > 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛+1 < 𝑎𝑛

𝑎𝑛+1 𝑎𝑛+1
>1 <1
𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛

𝑎𝑛+1 − 𝑎𝑛 > 0 𝑎𝑛+1 − 𝑎𝑛 < 0

(𝑎𝑛 )′ > 0 (𝑎𝑛 )′ < 0

Ex: 𝑎𝑛 = {𝑛 − 2𝑛 }∞
𝑛=1

𝑎1 = −1
𝑎2 = −3
𝑎3 = −5

Monotonically decreasing

4
 𝑒𝑛 ∞
Ex: 𝑎𝑛 = { }𝑛=1
𝑛

𝑎1 = 𝑒1

𝑒2
𝑎2 =
2
𝑒3
𝑎3 =
3

Monotonically increasing

The limit of infinite sequences:

𝐿 (𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟) → 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒
lim 𝑎𝑛 = {
𝑛→∞ ±∞ 𝑜𝑟 𝐷. 𝑁. 𝐸 → 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒

5
Ex: determine the following sequences converge or diverge?

3 + 5𝑛2
1) 𝑎𝑛 =
𝑛 + 𝑛2

3 + 5𝑛2 ∞
lim =
𝑛→∞ 𝑛 + 𝑛2 ∞

5𝑛2
lim =5 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣.
𝑛→∞ 𝑛2

3𝑛
2) 𝑎𝑛 =
4 + √𝑛

3𝑛 ∞
lim =
𝑛→∞ 4 + √𝑛 ∞

3𝑛 1
lim 1
= 3𝑛2 =∞ 𝑑𝑖𝑣.
𝑛→∞
𝑛2

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 4 + 3𝑛2
3) 𝑎𝑛 =
1 − 𝑛3

4 + 3𝑛2 ∞
lim =
𝑛→∞ 1 − 𝑛3 −∞

3𝑛2 3
lim =− =0 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣.
𝑛→∞ −𝑛3 𝑛

Ex: determine the following sequences converge or diverge?

1) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑛2 𝑒 −𝑛

lim 𝑛2 𝑒−𝑛 = ∞ ∗ 0
𝑛→∞

𝑛2 ∞
lim =
𝑛→∞ 𝑒𝑛 ∞

𝑛2 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟
lim = = 0 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣.
𝑛→∞ 𝑒𝑛 ∞
7
 𝑛2
lim
𝑛→∞ 𝑒𝑛

2𝑛
= lim
𝑛→∞ 𝑒𝑛

2
= lim 𝑛 = 0 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣.
𝑛→∞ 𝑒

ln(𝑛)
2) 𝑎𝑛 =
2𝑛

ln(𝑛) ∞
lim =
𝑛→∞ 2𝑛 ∞

1
lim 𝑛 = 0 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣.
𝑛→∞ 2

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 (−1)𝑛 ∗ 𝑛
3) 𝑎𝑛 =
𝑛+4

1∗𝑛 ∞
𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 → lim =
𝑛→∞ 𝑛 + 4 ∞

𝑛
lim =1
𝑛→∞ 𝑛

−𝑛 −∞
𝑜𝑑𝑑 → lim =
𝑛→∞ 𝑛 + 4 ∞

−𝑛
lim = −1
𝑛→∞ 𝑛

(−1)𝑛 ∗ 𝑛
lim = 𝐷. 𝑁. 𝐸. 𝑑𝑖𝑣.
𝑛→∞ 𝑛+4

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 cos 𝑛 (𝜋)
4) 𝑎𝑛 = 2
𝑛 +3

cos𝑛 (𝜋)
lim
𝑛→∞ 𝑛2 + 3

(cos(𝜋))𝑛
= lim
𝑛→∞ 𝑛2 + 3

(−1)𝑛
= lim 2
𝑛→∞ 𝑛 + 3

(−1)𝑛 ∞
𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 → lim 2 =
𝑛→∞ 𝑛 + 3 ∞

1 1
lim = =0
𝑛→∞ 𝑛2 + 3 ∞

−1 −1
𝑜𝑑𝑑 → lim = =0
𝑛→∞ 𝑛2 + 3 ∞
Conv.
10
 2𝑛
3
5) 𝑎𝑛 = (1 − )
𝑛

𝑎 𝑛
𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 → lim (1 + ) = 𝑒𝑎
𝑛→∞ 𝑛

2𝑛
3
lim (1 − )
𝑛→∞ 𝑛

2𝑛
−3 ∗ 2
= lim (1 + ) = 𝑒 −6
𝑛→∞ 2𝑛

Conv.

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 𝑛 𝑛
6) 𝑎𝑛 = ( )
𝑛+1

𝑛
𝑛
lim ( 1
)
𝑛→∞
𝑛 (1 + )
𝑛

𝑛
1
= lim ( 1
)
𝑛→∞
(1 + 𝑛 )

1
= 1 𝑛
lim (1 + )
𝑛→∞ 𝑛

1 1 −1
= = = 𝑒
𝑒1 𝑒

Conv.

12
 7) 𝑎𝑛 = √𝑛2 + 𝑛 − 𝑛

lim √𝑛2 + 𝑛 − 𝑛 = ∞ − ∞
𝑛→∞

√𝑛2 + 𝑛 + 𝑛
= lim √𝑛2 + 𝑛 − 𝑛 ∗
𝑛→∞ √𝑛2 + 𝑛 + 𝑛

𝑛2 + 𝑛 − 𝑛2
= lim
𝑛→∞ √𝑛2 + 𝑛 + 𝑛

𝑛 ∞
= lim =
𝑛→∞ √ 2
𝑛 +𝑛 +𝑛 ∞

𝑛
= lim
𝑛→∞ √𝑛2 + 𝑛

𝑛 1
= lim = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣.
𝑛→∞ 2𝑛 2

13
 8) 𝑎𝑛 = ln(𝑛 + 5) − ln(𝑛 + 2)

lim ln(𝑛 + 5) − ln(𝑛 + 2) = ∞ − ∞

𝑛→∞

𝑛+5 ∞
= lim ln ( )=
𝑛→∞ 𝑛+2 ∞

𝑛
= ln lim ( ) = ln 1 = 0 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒
𝑛→∞ 𝑛

9) 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑒 𝑛 − 𝑛

lim 𝑒𝑛 − 𝑛 = ∞ − ∞
𝑛→∞

𝑒𝑛
= lim 𝑛 ( − 1)
𝑛→∞ 𝑛
14
 𝑒∞
= ∞ ( − 1)
∞

= ∞(∞ − 1)

= ∞ 𝑑𝑖𝑣.

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