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Lesson Plan #48

Class: Intuitive Calculus Date: Monday January 8th, 2010

Topic: Sigma Notation Aim: How do we evaluate a sum using sigma notation?
Objectives:
1) Students will be able to evaluate a sum using sigma notation

HW# 48:
Page 267 Quick Review #’s 1-10

Do Now:
6
1) Evaluate �(3i + 2)
i =1

Procedure:
Write the Aim and Do Now
Get students working!
Take attendance
Give back work
Go over the HW
Collect HW
Go over the Do Now

You can use the graphing calculator’s summation feature to evaluate the sum.

Go to 2nd, then LIST, then MATH, then down to SUM, then 2nd LIST, then OPS, then down to SEQ, then the expression to sum, in
this case 3x + 2, then enter a comma, then the variable X, then a comma, then the lower bound 1, then the upper bound 6, then a
closing parenthesis, and another closing parenthesis. It should look like
sum(seq(3x+2,x,1,6))

Here are a couple of formulas you could use to help you find the sum without the calculator.

n n
n(n + 1) n n n n n

�c = cn
i =1
�i =
i =1 2
�cai = c�ai
i =1 i =1
�(ai �bi ) = �ai ��bi
i =1 i =1 i =1

Using the above formulas, we could break up the original sum

�(3i + 2) , into
i =1

6 6
3�i + �2 ,
i =1 i =1

which using the above formulas gives us

3 [ 6(7) ]
+ 2(6)
2

3(42)
+ 12 = 3(21) + 12 = 63 + 12 = 75 . Which is what we should have gotten
2
using the calculator
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Here are two other useful summation formulas:

n
n( n + 1)(2n + 1)
�i
i =1
2
=
6

n
n 2 (n + 1) 2
�i3 =
i =1 4

Assignment #1:

Find the sum using substitution, the above stated formulas, or your calculator.

5
1) �(2i + 1)
i =1

20
2) �(i
i =1
2
+ 3)

Assignment #2:

Write the sum as using sigma notation

5 5 5 5
1) + + + ... +
1+1 1+ 2 1+ 3 1 + 15

Let’s use 5 rectangles to approximate the region under the curve of f ( x ) = - x 2 + 5 and the x-axis between x = 0 and x = 2

2
The right endpoints of the five intervals are i, where i = 1, 2,3, 4,5 . What is the width of each rectangle?
5

How can we find the height of each rectangle?

5
2 �2i �
The sum of the areas of the 5 rectangles is �5 f �
i =1
�
�5 �
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Now let’s use rectangles that lie outside of the parabola.

2
The left endpoints of the five intervals are (i - 1), where i = 1, 2,3, 4,5 .
5

5
2 �2i - 2 �
The sum of the areas of the 5 rectangles is �5 f �
i =1 � 5
�
�

Example:
Use the above method to approximate the area of the region bounded by y = x , the x-axis, x = 0 and x = 1 using 4 rectangles.