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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.
Mathematicians also refer to generic sequences using the letter a along with
subscripts that correspond to the term numbers as follows:
This means that if we refer to the tenth term of a certain sequence, we will label
it a10. a14 is the 14th term. This notation is necessary for calculating nth
terms, or an, of sequences.
Formula for Calculating the Common Ratio: common ratio = (nth term)/[(n-1)th term]
In order for us to know how to obtain terms that are far down these lists of
numbers, we need to develop a formula that can be used to calculate these terms.
If we were to try and find the 20th term, or worse the 2000th term, it would take
a long time if we were to simply multiply a number -- one at a time -- to find our
terms.
If we had to find the 400th term of sequence A above, we would undertake a tedious
task had we decided to multiply by two each step of the way all the way to the
400th term. Luckily, there is a way to arrive at the 400th term without the need
for calculating terms 1 through 399.
The formula for the general term for each geometric sequence is...
Formula for the General Term: the nth term = (first term)(r)^(n-1)
1. Let's examine sequence A so that we can find a formula to express its nth
term.
n 1 2 3 4 5 . . .
Term 1 2 4 8 16 . . .
The fixed number, called the common ratio (r), is 2; so, the formula will be
an = a12n - 1 or an = (1)2n - 1 or...
an = 2n - 1
Now if we were asked to find the 12th term in this sequence, we would
calculate for a12 or 212 - 1 which is equal to 211 = 2048. So, a11 = 2048, or the
11th term is 2048. Likewise, the 20th term would be a20 = 219 = 524288.
n 1 2 3 4 5 . . .
Term 0.01 0.06 0.36 2.16 12.96 . . .
an = (0.01)6n - 1
For the sequence above, the rule an = (0.01)6n - 1 would give the values...
3. Now let's do the third and final example with sequence C....
n 1 2 3 4 5 . . .
Term 16 -8 4 -2 1 . . .
an = (16)(-1/2)n - 1
If for some reason we needed the 11th term, we would calculate for a11 =
(16)(-1/2)11 - 1 = (16)(-1/2)10 (16)(0.0009765625) = 0.015625. Similarly, a16 =
(16)(-1/2)16 - 1 = (16)(-1/2)15 = (16)(-0.000030517578125) = -0.00048828125.
We would need to know a few terms so that we could calculate the common ratio and
ultimately the formula for the general term. We would also need to know the last
number in the sequence.
Once we know the formula for the general term in a sequence and the last term, the
procedure is relatively uncomplicated, but the technique needed to complete the
procedure is complicated.
Set the last term equal to the formula for the general term. Since the formula
uses the variable n to calculate terms, we can also use it to determine the term
number for any given term.
If we again look at sequence A above, let's use the formula that was found to
calculate term values, an = a1rn - 1. If we knew that 256 was a number in the
sequence (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ..., 256 ) we would set the number 256 equal to the
formula an = a1rn - 1 and get 256 = 2n - 1. Solving this equation using proper
techniques requires the use of logarithms and would yield n = 9. [We could use the
method of guessing and checking to arrive at the same value.] This means that
there are 9 terms in the mentioned sequence and that the 9th term, a9, is equal to
256.
and
...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.
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