ASIAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION COLLGE

TACLOBAN CITY
S.Y. 2020-2021

O MATHEMATICS IN
THE
D MODERN WORLD
U
DISTANCE LEARNING FOR AN INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING INSTRUCTIONS

6
FREDERICK NORADA LIPON
Instructor
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ASIAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION COLLEGE

TACLOBAN CITY
S.Y. 2020-2021
-KEEP SAFE-

Program Title:
Subject: MATHEMATICS IN THE MODERN WORLD
Topic: GEOMETRIC SEQUENCES AND SERIES
Module: 6

LEARNING TARGET:
a. To understand the concept of geometric sequences
b. To enable students recognize a geometric sequence (geometric progression)
c. To enable students apply their knowledge of geometric sequences to everyday
applications
d. To use and manipulate the appropriate formula
e. To enable students find “a”, the first term and, “r” the common ratio, when given two terms
of a geometric sequence

Geometric Sequences and

Series
Sequences of numbers that follow a pattern of multiplying a fixed number from one term
to the next are called geometric sequences. The following sequences are geometric sequences:
Sequence A: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16,
Sequence B: 0.01, 0.06, 0.36, 2.16, 12.96,
Sequence C: 16, -8, 4, -2, 1...

For sequence A, if we multiply by 2 to the first number we will get the second number.
This works for any pair of consecutive numbers. The second number times 2 is the third number:
2 × 2 = 4, and so on.

For sequence B, if we multiply by 6 to the first number we will get the second number. This
also works for any pair of consecutive numbers. The third number times 6 is the fourth number:
0.36 × 6 = 2.16, which will work throughout the entire sequence.

Sequence C is a little different because it seems that we are dividing; yet to stay consistent
with the theme of geometric sequences, we must think in terms of multiplication. We need to
multiply by -1/2 to the first number to get the second number. This too works for any pair of
consecutive numbers. The fourth number times -1/2 is the fifth number: -2 × -1/2 = 1.

Because these sequences behave according to this simple rule of multiplying a constant
number to one term to get to another, they are called geometric sequences. So that we can
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examine these sequences to greater depth, we must know that the fixed numbers that bind each
sequence together are called common ratios. Mathematicians use the letter r when referring to
these types of sequences.

This means that if we refer to the tenth term of a certain sequence, we will label it a 10. a14 is the
14th term. This notation is necessary for calculating nth terms, or an, of sequences.

The r- value, or common ratio, can be calculated by dividing any two consecutive terms in a
geometric sequence. The formula for calculating r is...

...where n is any positive integer greater than 1.

FORMULA FOR Nth TERM: RECURSIVE AND EXPLICIT

To determine any number within a geometric sequence, there are two formulas that can be
utilized. Here is the recursive rule.

The recursive rule means to find any number in the sequence, we must multiply the common
ratio to the previous number in this list of numbers.

Let us say we were given this geometric sequence.

n 1 2 3 4 ...

Term 1 3 9 27 ...

We can see that the common ratio is 3 because we have to keep multiplying by 3 to go from one
term to the next. If we wanted to find the 5th term, we would multiply the 4th term by 3 to get 81.
If we multiply the 5th term by 3 we get the 6th term, which is 243, and so on.

What if we wanted to find the 20th number? We would have to find all off the numbers before the
20th number, if we use the recursive rule. That would be too much work. Instead, we will use
this explicit rule.
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To find the 20th number, all we have to do is multiply the first number in the sequence by the
common ratio raised to the 19th power, like this.

an = (a1)rn-1
a20 = (1)(3)20-1
a20 = (3)19
a20 = 11622615
This means the 20th term is equal to 11,622,615. As can be seen, the explicit rule is far superior
to the recursive rule.

CALCULATING THE Nth TERM

In this section, we will look at coming up with a unique formula to define all the terms in a
geometric sequence. We will use the explicit rule to help us.

We will look at two examples to explain this skill.

Example 1: Calculate the formula for sequence A, seen below, and use it to find the 9th term in
the sequence.

n 1 2 3 4 5 ...

Term 1 2 4 8 16 ..

The fixed number, called the r- value or common ratio, is 2. The first term, a1, is 1. Now we use
the explicit rule to gain a formula, like so.

an = (a1)rn-1
an = (1)(2)n-1
an = 2n-1

To find the 9th term, we would simply plug in 9 for the n-value and get this.

an = 2n-1
a9 = 29-1
a9 = 28
a9 = 256
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This means the formula is an = 2n-1 and the 9th term is 256.

Example 2: Find the formula for sequence B, seen below, and use it to determine the 15th term
in the sequence.

n 1 2 3 4 5 ...

Term 0.01 0.06 0.36 2.16 12.96 ..

The common ratio or r- value is 6 because we have to keep multiplying by 6 to go from one term
to the next term. The first term, a1, is 0.01. We will now see how the explicit rule helps us to find
the formula.

an = (a1)rn-1
an = (0.01)(6)n-1
To find the 15th term, we will substitute 15 for the n-value, like this.

an = (0.01)(6)n-1
a15 = (0.01)(6)15-1
a15 = (0.01)(6)14
a15 = 78364164
This means the formula is an = (0.01) (6) n-1 and the 15th term is 78,364,164.
Let us look at an example where we are given a sequence of numbers and we have to find how
many numbers there are in the sequences.
Example: Find the number of terms in the sequence 1, 2, 4, 8, 16... 256.
First, we will develop a formula for this sequence using the explicit rule. The first term, a1, is 1
and the common ratio is 2.

an = (a1)rn-1
an = (1)(2)n-1
an = 2n-1
We know the last number in the sequence. This last number, 256, is an. Using the formula, we
get this.

an = 2n-1
256 = 2n-1
To continue, some people use a guess-and-check approach. Other people use logarithms. The
guess-and-check method could involve plugging numbers into a calculator. So, the logarithm
approach will be shown here.

256 = 2n-1
log(256) = log(2n-1)
log(256) = (n - 1)log(2)
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log(256)/log(2) = (n - 1)
log(256)/log(2) + 1 = n
9=n
n=9
This means there are 9 terms in the sequence.

FINDING THE SUM OF SERIES

Given our generic geometric sequence...

...we can look at it as a series.

As we can see, the only difference between a sequence and a series is that a sequence is a list
of numbers and a series is a sum of numbers.

There exists a formula that can add a finite list of numbers and a formula for an infinite list of
numbers. Here are the formulas...

INFINITE FINITE

...where Sn is the sum of the first n numbers, a1 is the first number in the sequence, r is the
common ratio of the sequence, and -1 < r < 1 for infinite series. Let's use examples to investigate
both formulas.
Example 1: Find the sum of the first 7 terms of the sequence below.

n 1 2 3 4 5 ...

Term 1 2 4 8 16 ..
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The sum formula requires us to know the first term [a1], the common ratio [r], and the number of
terms [n]. We know the first term is 1. The common ratio is 2. The number of terms is 7. Plugging
this information into the formula give us this.

So, the sum of the first 7 terms is 127.

Example 2: Add the first 10 terms of the sequence below.

n 1 2 3 4 5 ...

Term 0.01 0.06 0.36 2.16 12.96 ...

We can see a1 = 0.01, r = 6 and we were told n = 10. We would then plug those numbers into the
formula and get this.

So, the sum of the first 10 terms is 120,932.35.

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Example 3: Add the infinite series 16 + (-8) + 4 + (-2) + 1 +...

The only way we can add an infinite series is for two conditions to be met: a) it has to be a
geometric series and b) the common ratio has to be greater than -1 but less than 1.

Looking at the series, we can see that there is a common ratio. This means it is geometric.
Since the common ratio is -1/2 and it falls between -1 and 1, we can use the sum formula. We will
use a1 = 16 and r = -1/2.

This means the entire infinite series is equal to 102/3.

Example 4: Add the infinite sum 27 + 18 + 12 + 8 +...

We need to check the conditions to see if we can use the infinite sum formula. It does have
a common ratio. It is 2/3. Since 2/3 is less than 1 and greater than -1, we can use the formula, like
this.

This means the entire infinite series is 81.

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DETERMINE IF THE SEQUENCE IS GEOMETRIC. IF IT IS, FIND THE

COMMON RATIO.

1) −1, 6, −36, 216… 4. −3, −15, −75, −375, ...

2) −1, 1, 4, 8 ... 5. −2, −4, −8, −16, ...
3) 4, 16, 36, 64 ... 6. 1, −5, 25, −125, ...

GIVEN THE EXPLICIT FORMULA FOR A GEOMETRIC SEQUENCE. FIND THE FIRST FIVE TERMS AND THE
8TH TERM.

7. an = 3 n – 1 8. an = 2 ⋅ ( 1 ⁄4) n – 1
9. an = −2.5 ⋅ 4 n – 1 10. an = −4 ⋅ 3 n − 1

GIVEN THE RECURSIVE FORMULA FOR A GEOMETRIC SEQUENCE FIND THE COMMON RATIO, THE FIRST
FIVE TERMS, AND THE EXPLICIT FORMULA.

11. an = a n − 1 ⋅ 2 12. an = a n − 1 ⋅ −3

a1 = 2 a1 = −3
13. an = a n − 1 ⋅ 5 14. an = a n − 1 ⋅ 3

a1 = 2 a 1 = −3
GIVEN THE FIRST TERM AND THE COMMON RATIO OF A GEOMETRIC SEQUENCE FIND THE FIRST FIVE
TERMS AND THE EXPLICIT FORMULA.

15. a 1 = 0.8, r = −5 16. a 1 = 1, r = 2

GIVEN THE FIRST TERM AND THE COMMON RATIO OF A GEOMETRIC SEQUENCE FIND THE RECURSIVE
FORMULA AND THE THREE TERMS IN THE SEQUENCE AFTER THE LAST ONE GIVEN.

17. a 1 = −4, r = 6 18. a 1 = 4, r = 6

19. a 1 = 2, r = 6 20. a 1 = −4, r = 4

DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF TERMS N IN EACH GEOMETRIC SERIES.

1. a1 = −2, r = 5, S n = −62 2. a 1 = 3, r = −3, S n = −60
3. a 1 = −3, r = 4, S n = −4095 4. a 1 = −3, r = −2, S n = 63

FINITE GEOMETRIC SERIES (Evaluate the related series of each sequence)

1. 2, 12, 72, 432 2. −1, 5, −25, 125 3. −2, 6, −18, 54, −162 4. −2, −12, −72, −432, −2592
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FIND THE SUM OF N TERMS FROM THE GIVEN TERMS OF THE

GEOMETRIC SERIES:

1. A gardener wanted to reward a boy for his good deeds by giving some mangoes. He gave
the boy two choices. He could either have 1000 mangoes at once or he could get 1 mango
on the first day, 2 on the second day, 4 on the third day, 8 mangoes on the fourth day and
so on for ten days. Which option should the boy choose to get the maximum number of
mangoes?
2. A geometric series consists of four terms and has a positive common ratio. The sum of
the first two terms is 9 and the sum of the last two terms is 36. Find the series.
3. The second term of the geometric series is 3 and the common ratio is 4/5. Find the sum
of first 23 consecutive terms in the given geometric series.
EVALUATE EACH INFINITE GEOMETRIC SERIES DESCRIBED.

1. a1 = 3, r = − 1 /5 2. a1 = 1, r = −4 3. a 1 = 1, r = −3
4. a1 = 1, r = 1 /2 5. 1 + 0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125..., 6. 3 − 9 /4 + 27 /16 − 81 /64 ...,
7. 81 − 27 + 9 − 3..., 8. 1 − 0.6 + 0.36 − 0.216...,
DETERMINE THE COMMON RATIO OF THE INFINITE GEOMETRIC SERIES.

1. a 1 = 1, S = 1.25 2. a1 = 96, S = 64 3. a 1 = −4, S = − 16 5

4. a1 = 1, S = 2.5

“LEARNING IS CREATION NOT CONSUMPTION. KNOWLEDGE IS NOT SOMETHING A LEARNER

ABSORBS, BUT SOMETHING A LEARNER CREATES”

#KEEP SAFE
#GOD BLESS