Applications of Taylor Series

Lecture Notes

These notes discuss three important applications of Taylor series:

1. Using Taylor series to find the sum of a series.
2. Using Taylor series to evaluate limits.
3. Using Taylor polynomials to approximate functions.

Evaluating Infinite Series

It is possible to use Taylor series to find the sums of many different infinite series. The
following examples illustrate this idea.
EXAMPLE 1 Find the sum of the following series:
"
_

8!

SOLUTION

"
"
"
"
"
"

8x
"x
#x
$x
%x

Recall the Taylor series for /B :

"

"
" #
" $
" %
B
B
B
B /B .
"x
#x
$x
%x

The sum of the given series can be obtained by substituting in B ":

"

"
"
"
"

/.
"x
#x
$x
%x

In the above example, note that we get a different series for every value of B that we plug in. For
example,
"

#
##
#$
#%

/# .
"x
#x
$x
%x

and
_
"
"
"
"
a"b8
"
"
"

/" .
"x
#x
$x
%x
8x
/
8!

EXAMPLE 2 Find the sums of the following series:

(a)

"

"
"
"
"

.
#
$
%
&

(b)

"

"
"
"
"

$
&
(
*

SOLUTION

(a) Recall that

B

B
B
B
B

lna" Bb.
#
$
%
&

Substituting in B " yields

"

"
"
"
"

lna#b.
#
$
%
&

(b) Recall that

B

B
B
B
B

tan" aBb.
$
&
(
*

Substituting in B " yields

"

"
"
"
"
1

tan" a"b .
$
&
(
*
%

This is known as the Gregory-Leibniz formula for 1.

Limits Using Power Series

When taking a limit as B !, you can often simplify things by substituting in a power series that
you know.
sin B B
.
B!
B$

EXAMPLE 3 Evaluate lim

SOLUTION

We simply plug in the Taylor series for sin B:

sin B B
lim
lim
B!
B!
B$

lim

B!

lim
B!

" $
"
"
B B & B ( B
$x
&x
(x
B$

" $
"
"
B B& B(
$x
&x
(x
B$
"
"
"
"
"
B# B%

$x
&x
(x
$x
'

B # /B
.
B! cos B "

EXAMPLE 4 Evaluate lim

SOLUTION

We simply plug in the Taylor series for /B and cos B:

B # /B
lim
lim
B! cos B "
B!

"
B # " B B #
#
" #
" %
" '
" B B B "
#
%x
'x

"
B# B$ B%
#
lim
" #
" %
"
B!
B B B'
#
%x
'x
"
" B B#
"
#

#
lim
"
" %
" #
B!
"#
B B
# #%
'x

Sometimes a limit will involve a more complicated function, and you must determine the Taylor
series:
lnacos Bb
.
B!
B#

EXAMPLE 5 Evaluate lim

SOLUTION

lnacos Bb are:

Using the Taylor series formula, the first few terms of the Taylor series for
"
" %
lnacos Bb B#
B .
#
"#

(Really, we only need that first term.) Therefore,

"
"
B# B%
lnacos Bb
"
"
"
"#
lim
lim #
lim B#
#
#
B!
B!
B!
B
B
# "#
#

Limits as B + can be obtained using a Taylor series centered at B +:

ln B
.
B" B "

EXAMPLE 6 Evaluate lim

SOLUTION

Recall that
ln B aB "b

"
"
a B " b # aB " b$
#
$

Plugging this in gives

"
"
a B "b a B " b # a B " b$
ln B
#
$
lim
lim
B" B "
B"
B"
"
"
lim " aB "b aB "b# "
B"
#
$

Taylor Polynomials
A partial sum of a Taylor series is called a Taylor polynomial. For example, the Taylor
polynomials for /B are:
X ! aB b "

X " aB b " B

X # aB b " B

" #
B
#
"
"
X $ aB b " B B # B $
#
'

You can approximate any function 0 aBb by its Taylor polynomial:

0 a B b X 8 aB b

If you use the Taylor polynomial centered at +, then the approximation will be particularly good
near B +.

TAYLOR POLYNOMIALS

Let 0 aBb be a function. The Taylor polynomials for 0 aBb centered at B + are:
X ! aB b 0 a+ b

X " a B b 0 a + b 0 w a + b aB + b
X# aBb 0 a+b 0 w a+baB +b

You can approximate 0 aBb using a Taylor polynomial.

0 ww a+b
a B + b#
#x

Note that the 1st-degree Taylor polynomial is just the tangent line to 0 aBb at B +:
X " a B b 0 a + b 0 w a + b aB + b

This is often called the linear approximation to 0 aBb near B +, i.e. the tangent line to the
graph. Taylor polynomials can be viewed as a generalization of linear approximations. In
particular, the 2nd-degree Taylor polynomial is sometimes called the quadratic approximation,
the 3rd-degree Taylor polynomial is the cubic approximation, and so on.
EXAMPLE 7
(a)

Find the 5th-degree Taylor polynomial for sin B.

(b)

Use the answer from part (a) to approximate sina!$b.

SOLUTION

(a) This is just all term terms of the Taylor series up to B& :
X & aB b B

" $
"
"
" &
B B& B B$
B
$x
&x
'
"#!

"
"
(b) sina!$b X& a!$b a!$b a!$b$
a!$b& !#*& &#! #&
'
"#!

EXERCISES
12 Find the sum of the given series.
1. "

"
"
"

$x
&x
(x

2. "

1#
1%
1'

#x
%x
'x

11. lim

B1

14. (a) Find the 4th-degree Taylor polynomial for /B .

B
4. lim $B
B! / "

sina%Bb
B!
B

8. lim

/#B "
B! sin B

10. lim

7. lim

9. lim

ln B
B "

(b) Use your answer from part (a) to approximate lna""&b.

6. lim

5. lim

B"

0 aBb ln B centered at + ".

lna" B b
B!
B#
#

12. lim

13. (a) Find the 3rd-degree Taylor polynomial for the function

312 Evaluate the following limits.

cos B "
3. lim
B!
B#

" cos B
aB 1b#

B
B! tan" a%Bb
cos B " "# B#
B!
B%
tan" aBb B
B! sinaBb B

(b) Use your answer from part (a) to approximate /!$ .

15. (a) Find the quadratic approximation for the function
0 aBb B$# centered at + %.

(b) Use your answer from part (a) to approximate a%#b$# .

16. (a) Find the quadratic approximation for the function
$
0 aBb
B centered at + ).
$
(b) Use your answer from part (a) to approximate
)'.