DIVERGING SEQUENCES

Lecture
by
J.K. Gondwe

08/13/20 seq-4 1
 LECTURE OBJECTIVES
• Understand what a diverging sequence is
• Know how to check if a sequence is
diverging

08/13/20 seq-4 2
 Example

Determine whether the following sequence

diverges or not.

 n  1
2

 
 2n - 3 n 1

08/13/20 seq-4 3
 Solution

 n  1
2
 a  
 2n - 3  n 1
Listing the terms in the sequence gives;
 2 5 10 17 26 37 
 , , , , , ............... 
 1 1 3 5 7 9 
Note : The terms are getting larger as n is
getting bigger, giving an indeterminate

form . Therefore divide the numerator and

denominator by the highest power of n which
appears in the denominator
08/13/20 seq-4 4
 Solution
Dividing the numerator and denominator by the highest power
of n which appears in the denominator

 n  1
2
 n 2  1
   lim  
 2n - 3 n 1 n  2n - 3
 
 1
 n  
 lim  n
n  3 
 2- 
 n 
n 
 lim  
n  2
 


08/13/20 seq-4 5
 Cont’d
n
lim
n  2



 n  1
2
The sequence   diverges
 2n - 3 n 1
An example of a sequence that diverges
by virtue of its terms tending to  
08/13/20 seq-4 6
 Cont’d
graphically the function looks as follows:
8

5 10 15 20
The sequence appears to be increasing without
getting closer to any single number
08/13/20 seq-4 7
 Diverging sequences -Defn

- these are sequences such that as n approaches

infinity a n does not approach any single number.
i.e. the sequence  a 
n n 1 L
If a sequency has no limit then it diverges

08/13/20 seq-4 8
 Examples

Determine whether the following sequence

diverges or not.

 n  1
2

 
 n  1 n 1

08/13/20 seq-4 9
 Solution (a)

 n  1
2

 
 n  1  n 1
Listing the terms in the sequence gives;
 5 10 17 26 
1, , , , ,............... 
 3 4 5 6 
Note : The terms are getting larger and larger and gives

an indeterminate form


08/13/20 seq-4 10
 Cont’d

Note : The terms are getting larger and larger and gives

an indeterminate form

Take limits of a sequence by dividing the numerator
and denominator by the highest power of n which appears
in the denominator

08/13/20 seq-4 11
 
Cont’d
 n 2  1
 
 n  1 n 1

Dividing the numerator and denominator by the

highest power of n which appears in the denominator

 1  1
 n  n 
n   lim  n
 1 n 
 1
1   1 
 n n 1  n
n 
 lim  
n  1
 


1

 the sequence diverges

08/13/20 seq-4 12
 Cont’d

Look at the following sequence

 -1 
n 
n 1

The terms in the sequence can be listed :

  1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,...............
Clearly the sequence is repeating itself
08/13/20 seq-4 13
 Cont’d
• Since a sequence is a function defined
only on integers we can plot the points to
graph this sequence i.e. y=f(n)

+1

-1

08/13/20 seq-4 14
 Cont’d
As n gets larger and larger, the terms of
the sequence get repeating themselves.
They don’ t get closer to any single number.
The terms of the sequence oscillates
between  1 and - 1.
 The limit does not exist.

08/13/20 seq-4 15
 Cont’d
Knowing the first few terms of a sequence
is not enough to determine whether a sequence
diverges or converges, but the specific rule for the n th
term of the sequence, hence take limits as n is
approaching infinity i.e lim an where an is the n th
n 

term of the sequence

08/13/20 seq-4 16
 Examples
Determine whether the following sequences
converges or diverges

1
1.  n 
 2 n 1

 6 
2.  
 ( n  1)( n 2
 n  6) n 1

 n  3n  3 
2
3.  2 
 9n  25n  18 n 1

 - n(n  1)(n - 4) 
4.  
 6( n 2
 3n  2 ) n 1

08/13/20 seq-4 17
 Examples
Listing the first few terms of the sequences :

1 1 1 1 1 
1.  n    , , , ,........
 2 n 1  2 4 8 16 

 6  1 1 1 1 
2.     , , , ,........
 (n  1)(n  n  6) n 1
2
 2 4 8 15 

 n  3n  3 
2
1 1 1 7 
3.  2    , , , ,........
 9n  25n  18 n 1  2 4 8 62 

 - n(n  1)(n - 4)  1 1 1 
4.     , , ,0,........
 6( n 2
 3n  2) n 1 2 4 8 
08/13/20 seq-4 18
 Cont’d

Note that the first three terms of the sequences

are identical and it is not possible to determine
the convergence or divergence of the sequences,
hence knowing the first several terms is not enough.

08/13/20 seq-4 19
 Exercise
Determine whether the following sequences
converge or diverge, if the sequence converges, find its limit

1
1.  n 
 2 n 1

 6 
2.  
 (n  1)(n  n  6) n 1
2


 n  3n  3 
2
3.  2 
 9n  25n  18  n 1

 - n(n  1)(n - 4) 
4.  
 6 ( n 2
 3n  2 )  n 1
08/13/20 seq-4 20
 Solutions
1. Converges, limit is 0

2. Converges, limit is 0

1
3. Converges, limit is
9

4. Diverges
08/13/20 seq-4 21