Sequences

Objective: To write the rule of a sequence as a recursive or exnlicis

terms
formula and use it to find specified

The honeycombs in abeehive and the petals of a

flower form patterns. Many patterns are found in
nature, and such patterns can often be expressed
as mathematical relations.

Capsule Review
Arelation is a set of ordered pairs. For example,
consider the relation R, where
R= {(1, 5), (2, 7), (3, 9), (4, 11)}
The domain of relation R is {1, 2, 3, 4} and the
range of R is (5, 7,9, 11}.
A relation is a function if for every element in the domain there is one and only
one corresponding element in the range. Therefore, the relation R is a
function. Rcan also be written as a rule, or equation.
R= f(n) = 2n +3 for nE {1,2, 3, 4}

Determine which relations, if any, are functions. Assume that n is a

real number.

1. ((1, 1), (2, 8), (3, 27), (4, 64)} 2. {(1, -1), (1, 3), (2, 4), (2, 0)}
3. f(n) =3n 4. f(n) = n2 5. f(n) = tn 6. f(n) = 3n3

Yuan has been elected President of the Chess Club. Her first
job is to
schedule the tournaments for the month of March. The
tournaments are
played every Tuesday night. If the first Tuesday in March
the dates of all the
is March 4. find
tournaments.
Tuesdays are 7 days apart. Look fora pattern.
lst Tuesday 2nd Tuesday 3rd Tuesday
4 4th Tuesday
4 + 7 = || 11 + 7 = 18 18 + 7 = 25 Appiy the patterm.
The dates of the tournaments are March 4, 11, 18, and 25.
622 Chapter 13 Sequences and Series
 The ordered set of
thought of as the set ofnumbers {4, |1, 18, 25} is called a sequence. It can11),
be
(3rd Tuesday, 18), (4th ordered pairs {(1st Tuesday, 4), (2nd Tuesday,
sequence is
on a subset
a Tuesday, 25)}, or {(1, (3, 18), (4, 25)}.
(2, 1),
of function defined on the sct of consccutive positive integers or
4).
A

called a termn. Theconsecutivepositive

first termn is
Each value in a sequence is
integers. nth term is a,.
The nth term 1S also called the a,, the sccond is a2, and the
general torm The subscripts of the tos
...are positive integers.
The sequence {4, I1, 18, 25} is a finite soruende hecause it has a last te.
The sequence consisting of the set of positive odd integers, {1. 3, 5, /
is an iniinite sequence because it does not have alast term. The three dots
are used to show that the sequence goes on and on indefinitely.
A formula for finding the nth term of asequence is a rule of the sequence.
Sometimnes a sequence can be defined by stating the first term, a,, and a rule
that shows how to obtain the (n + 1)th term, a,+l, from the preceding term,
ai. This type of rule is called a recursive formula.

1 Write the recursive formula for the

sequence of the tournament dates
EXAMPLE
Shown on page 622.

Dates: 4, 11, 18, 25 Look at the pattern. You get from

each term to the next by adding 7.
=4
a =a, + 7 = 4+7= 1|
= a, t 7= 11 +7= 18
7=25
a4 = a3 t 7 = 18 +
7
* a, t 2, 3, 4}
4; an+| a, t 7 for nE {1,
Recursive formula: a, =
formula, you can
sequence or write the rule as a
you find the rule for a
After additional terms.
use it to find
for the sequence 1, 2, 4, 8, ... and find the
recursive formula
Write a
EXAMPLE 2 next three terms.
Look tora pattemn. Note that each term
2
is iwice the precoding term.
21)
l2
212)
2(4)
a4 = 2a;

an+) = Za,
3.2 Scquences 623
 624 EXERCISES
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