The Sum of a Finite Geometric Sequence Formula Derivation The sum of the first n terms of a geometric sequence can be written as follows: S,=atartart +--+ ar" + ar), If we multiply both sides of our equation by r, we have 1S, = ar+ ar + ar? +--+ ar") + ar". ‘We then have (@)-(@) Sp — 1S, = — art 5,Q-r)=a(.-r") _aa-r) SGDefinition: The Sum of a Finite Geometric Sequence ‘The sum of the first n terms of a geometric sequence, with first term a and common ratio r, is denoted by S,,: _a¢ _ ae") SGD “=D " or Sy Generally, we use the first version when r < 1 and the second one when r > 1. Ifr = 1 all the terms of the geometric sequence are the same, so we will just need to multiply the first term by the number of terms: S = ax n.Example 1: Calculating the Sum of Certain Terms in a Finite Geometric Series A geometric series has a first term of 3 and a common ratio of 5. Find the sum of the first 6 terms. Answer ‘We recall the sum of a finite geometric sequence formula. a=3 rss Then, we substitute the given values in the formula. n=6Example 2: Finding the Sum of a Finite Geometric Sequence Find the sum of the geometric sequence 16, —32, 64, ..., 256. Answer a! ‘We begin by recalling the general term of the geometric on sequence. a=16 (1) = 16-2)" ‘ ven values i ; w=-2 (2) 256 = 16(=2) ‘Then, we substitute the given values in the formula. a, = 256 (3) 16 = (-2)"4 We divide both sides by 16 g =< = (ats ‘We then unify both bases to be —2. nra-2 n-1=4 ‘The bases are equal, so the powers are equal.Example 2 (Continued) aQ-r") ‘Then, we recall the sum of a finite geometric sequence (l-r) formula. 16(1- (-2)°) S| aD ; i ; We substitute the obtained values in the formula. 26(1 + 32) ~~ +2) =176Example 3: Finding the Number of Terms of a Finite Geometric Sequence given Its Sum The number of terms of a geometric sequence whose first term is 729, last term is 1, and sum of all terms is 1,093 is . Answer =oa-") a=729 a-r a,=1 729(1- 25 S, = 1093 1093 = —T @, = art 109301 =r) = 729 =r 157297 1 r 1093 — 1093) 729-1r T9~ " 1092r = 364 re 79 We start by recalling the sum of a finite geometric sequence formula. ‘We substitute the given values in the formula. ‘We then multiply both sides by (1/— 7).Example 3 (Continued) = “728 ORCC O MOLE , ‘We recall the obtained relation of r. Then, we substitute r = = in the relation. We then recall the product rule for exponents, x"*"Example 4: Finding the Geometric Sequence given Its Last Term, Common Ratio, and the Sum of All Its Terms Find the geometric sequence given the sum of all the terms is 3, 339, the last term is 1, 696, and the common ratio is 2. Answer ‘We begin by recalling the general term of the geometric sequence. ar 1696 = a(2)"?_ We substitute the given values in the formula. ” Then, we recall the quotient rule for exponents, 1696 = a= xen 2 xn 3902 = a(2)" Wemultiply both sides by 2.Example 4 (Continued) a(r"—1) After that, we recall the sum of a finite geometric "=D sequence formula 3339 = a@"=1) ‘We substitute the given values in the formula. Sy = 3339 ra 8 " a, = 1696 | . | | . Then, we substitute the obtained relation of a in the r=2 3339 =a(2)'-a formula, 3392 = a(2)" 3339 = 3392-a ‘We subtract 3392 and add a to both sides, a= 53 ‘We use r to get the terms of the sequence. ~The geometric sequence is 53, 106, 212,..., 1696.Example 5: Finding the Sum of n Terms of a Geometric Sequence under a Certain Condition Find the sum of the first 7 terms of a geometric sequence given as 8a, and a, + a5 = Answer We begin by recalling the general term of the geometric sequence. ‘We substitute in the first given expression. Then, we divide both sides by ar. We obtain the cubic root of both sides. ‘We then susbtitute in the second given expression, ‘We substitute with r = —2.Example 5 (Continued) ‘We recall the sum of a finite geometric sequence formula. ‘Then, we substitute the obtained values in the formula. r=-2Key Points > A finite geometric sequence has the form a, ar, ar, .. ar*-1, where a is the first term, r is the common ratio, and n is the number of terms in the sequence. » The nth term of a geometric sequence is a = ar". > The common ratio, r, of a geometric sequence whose nth term is a, is given by r = > The sum of the terms in a sequence is called a series. > The sum of the first n terms of a geometric sequence, with first term a and common ratio r # 1. is denoted by S,, where aQ-r’) _a(r"—1) ay = [ap Sn