Sequences & Summations

Discrete Structure 1
BSCS 2
 Sequence
• A sequence is a discrete structure used to represent
an ordered list.
• A sequence is a function from a subset of the set
of integers (usually either the set {0,1,2,. . .} or
{1,2, 3,. . .}to a set S.
• We use the notation an to denote the image of the
integer n. We call an a term of the sequence.
• Notation to represent sequence is {an}
 Examples
• {1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, . . .} or the sequence {a n}
where an = 1/n, nZ+ .

• {1,2,4,8,16, . . .} = {an} where an = 2n, nN.

• {12,22,32,42,. . .} = {an} where an = n2, nZ+

 Common Sequences
Arithmetic a, a+d, a+2d, a+3d, a+4d, …
n2 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, . . .
n3 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, . . .
n4 1, 16, 81, 256, 625, . . .
2n 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, . . .
3n 3, 9, 27, 81, 243, . . .
n! 1, 2, 6, 24, 120, . . .
 Summations
• Notation for describing the sum of the terms
am, am+1, . . ., an from the sequence, {an}
n

am+am+1+ . . . + an =  aj
j=m

• j is the index of summation (dummy variable)

• The index of summation runs through all integers
from its lower limit, m, to its upper limit, n.
 Examples
5 4

 j  ( j  1)  1 2  3  4  5  15
j 1 j 0

1 j 11 2  1 3  1 4  1 5
j 1
5
1  1 j  1  1 2  1 3  1 4  1 5
j2
 Summations follow all the rules
of multiplication and addition!
n n
c  j   cj  c(1+2+…+n) = c + 2c +…+ nc
j 1 j 1
n n n1
r  ar   ar
j j 1
  ar  k

j 0 j 0 k 1
n n
ar n1
  ar  ar k n1
 a   ar k

k 1 k0
 Telescoping Sums
n

 (a
j 1
j  a j 1 )  (a1  a0 )  (a2  a1 ) 

(a3  a2 )  ...  (an  an 1 )  an  a0

Example
4

 [k
k 1
2
 (k  1) 2
]

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
(1  0 )  (2  1 )  (3  2 )  (4  3 )
4 2  16  0  16
 Closed Form Solutions
A simple formula that can be used to calculate a sum without
doing all the additions.
Example:
n
n(n  1)

k 1
k
2
Proof: First we note that k2 - (k-1)2 = k2 - (k2-2k+1) = 2k-1.
Since k2-(k-1)2 = 2k-1, then we can sum each side from k=1 to
k=n n n

 [k  k  1 ]   2k  1
2 2

k 1 k 1
 Proof (cont.)
n n

 [k 2
 k  1 ]   2k  1
2

k 1 k 1
n n n

 [k
k 1
2
 k  1 ]   2k  1
2

k 1 k 1
n
n  0  2 (k )  n
2 2

k 1
n
n  n  2 (k)
2

k 1

n
n2  n
k 2
k 1
 Closed Form Solutions to Sums
n

 j  0  1  ...  n  n(n  1)/ 2

j 0

 j  0  1  ...  n  n(n  1)(2n  1)/ 6

j 0
2 2 2 2

n
n 2
n  12


k 1
3
k 
4
n
ar n1
a

k 0
k
ar 
r 1
,r  1
 Double Summations

4 3 4  3  4 4

 
i 1 j 1
ij    ij   i  2i  3i    6i 
  i 1
i 1 j 1  i1

6  12  18  24  60
 Cardinality
• Earlier we defined cardinality of a set as the
number of elements in the set. We can extend this
idea to infinite sets.
• The sets A and B have the same cardinality if and
only if there is a one-to-one correspondence from
A to B.
• A set that is either finite or has the same
cardinality as the set of natural numbers is called
countable. A set that is not countable is called
uncountable.
 Cardinality
• Cardinality of set of natural numbers?
• An infinite set is countable if and only if it is
possible to list the elements in a sequence
(indexed by the positive integers).
– Why? A one-to-one correspondence f can be expressed
in terms of the sequence a1, a2, a3…., where a1 = f(1),
a2 =f(2), etc.
– One-to-one correspondence for set of odd positive
integers (in terms of positive integers)?
f(n) = 2n - 1