Review of Lecture on 28 Aug 2013

Chapter 4 Series
(A)Infinite sum (series)

= lim ak

k
n
=
k 1=
k 1

Infinite sum exists (series converges) if lim

ak exists
n
k =1

(B) Geometric series (GP)

a
a (1 r )
if r < 1
lim
lim =
ar
ar
=
=

n
n
1 r
1 r
k 1=
k 1

k 1

If r 1, then

k 1

k 1
ar
is divergent

k =1

(C) Some interesting series

1 1 1

1 2 + 2 2 + ... =
2 3 4
12
2

(D) Another Important Series

p-series

1
n

diverges
converges

0p1
p>1

Idea of the proof

1
y=
x

1
y= p
x

1 1
1
1 + + + ... > dx
2 3
1 x

1 1 1
1
+ p + p + ... < p dx
p
2 3 4
1 x

p >1

(F) To find the exact value of a given series is not easy.

However whether the given series
is convergent or not is important.
Often, we can determine that a series converges
without knowing the exact value to which it converges.
There are several methods checking the convergence
of a series .
However , in this module, we only study one method,
ratio test. This test can be applied to many series. But
Not all series can be tested by ratio test, we need
other tests, which we do not study here.

(G) Ratio Test

converges if < 1

Then
the series

diverges
No conclusion can be drawn

if > 1
if = 1
6

(G) Finding limit in the ratio test

2n + 10
2 + 10 / n 2
lim
lim
=
=
n
3n + 1 n 3 + 1/ n 3
(n + 1)(2n + 3)
(1 + 1/ n)(2 + 3 / n)
2
=
lim
lim
=
n
n
(4n + 5)(7 n + 4)
(4 + 5 / n)(7 + 4 / n) 28
(n + 1)(2n + 3)
(2n 2 + 5n + 3)
lim
lim
=
2
n
n
(4n + 5)(7 n + 4)
(28n + 51n + 20)
(2 + 5n / n 2 + 3 / n 2 )
2
lim
=
n
(28 + 51n / n 2 + 20 / n 2 ) 28

3(5 ) + 100
lim
n
(7)(5n+1 ) + 6
n

3(1/ 5) + 100 / 5
3(1/ 5)
=
lim
n
(7) + 6 / 5n+1
7
n +1

n2
n2 / n2
1
=
=
=
lim
lim
lim
1
2
2
2
2
n
n
n
(n + 1)
(n + 1) / n
(1 + 1/ n)
(2n)! an+1
1
[2(n + 1)]! n!n!
an =
= a=
n +1
n !n !
an
an (n + 1)!(n + 1)! (2n)!
(2n + 2)(2n + 1)(2n)! n!n!
=
(n + 1)n!(n + 1)n! (2n)!
(2n + 2)(2n + 1) 2(2n + 1)
= =
(n + 1)(n + 1)
(n + 1)