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Sequences in Math Year 12

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13 views

Sequences in Math Year 12

Uploaded by

pjlewis2024
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sequences in Math

Looking at Arithmetic sequences (linear), Quadratic sequences and geometric


sequences.
Basically we are talking about a set of numbers that have a pattern - how can we
distinguish that pattern and how can we find other numbers in the pattern. We’ll be
looking at three different types.

Arithmetic sequences - also known as linear sequences.

These are the most straightforward - between each number in the sequence there is
a constant.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 is an arithmetic sequence where we just add one to the previous


number.

Typically we need to verify that a set of numbers are in an arithmetic sequence,


complete a sequence or find an nth term in the sequence.

1. Given the sequence 6; 13; 20; …


a) Determine a formula for the nth term of the sequence.
b) Calculate the 21st term of this sequence.
c) Determine which term of this sequence is 97
.
2. Consider this number pattern: 8; 5; 2; …
a) Calculate the 15th term.
b) Determine which term of this sequence is –289.

3. a) Given the arithmetic sequence 1 − p; 2p − 3; p + 5; . . . determine the value of p.


b) Determine the values of the first three terms of the sequence.
Quadratic sequences

Look at this sequence of numbers

6 12 22 36 54

There is no obvious sequence … but if we look closely there is …

If we have a constant second difference like this, then we have a quadratic


sequence.

How do I find the values of a,b and c ?

The second common difference is 2a - so divide the second common difference to


find a

3a + b = T2 - T1 If we know a, we can find b

a + b + c = first term We can find c


Example

Identify this sequence - 12,20,32,48 and give the 8th term.

Solution

12 20 32 48
8 12 16 It is not arithmetic
4 4 It is a quadratic sequence

Our formula for a quadratic sequence is

2a = 4 a=2

3a + b = T2 -T1
6+b = 8
b=2

a+b+c = 1st term

2 + 2 + c =12
c=8

So our formula for this sequence is Tn = 2n2 + 2n + 8

So the 8th term is 2x64 + 16 +8 = 152


Geometric sequences

Look at this set of numbers ..5; 15; 45; 135; 405; …

There is no common difference, there is no second difference .. we multiply the


previous number by 3 to get the next number in the sequence. This is a geometric
sequence

We find the ratio by dividing two consecutive terms ..


Series
The sum of any sequence of numbers is called a series. There are two forms of
series - finite series and infinite.

Finite series

This is where we add up a limited (finite) number of terms in a sequence.

If we have the following sequence ….


2,4,6,8,10,12,14

We would write the series as


Sn = T1 + T2+ T3 + T4 + T5 ….

If we wanted to find the sum of the first 4 terms …


S4 = 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 = 20

So this is a finite series.

Infinite series

Here we do not have a limit -


S∞ = T1 + T2+ T3 + T4 + T5 ….

Sigma notation

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