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We call the individual objects in the list terms. We count the terms in the listing from left to right. This need not be in numerical order, but order must not be changed. We often wrap the listing in braces { } like normal sets, but keep in mind that ordering matters for sequences, but not for sets in general. Examples: 1. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 is a sequence with four terms. The third term is the number 2. 2. 2, 0, 1, 3, 4 is a different sequence with four terms. The third term is the number 1. 3. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 is the sequence of odd digits. The fifth term is the number 9. 4. 1, 5, 9, 13, . . . , 33, 37 is a sequence with 13 terms. The dots ( . . . ) in the middle indicates that the pattern continues until the next number appears. Identifying the pattern is the key to working with sequences. What do we do to get each successive term?
What is the 7th term? 5. 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, . . . , 100 is a sequence with ten terms. What is the pattern?
What is the 7th term? 6. 0, -1, 2, -3, 4, -5 is an alternating sequence with six terms. The signs alternate from term to term.
Sequences can be finite like the ones above or they can be infinite like 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, . . . The three dots ( . . . ) at the end say the pattern continues forever.
Examples: 1. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . . is a infinite sequence, sometimes called the sequence of whole numbers. Its 10th term is the number 9. (Really, count it out.)
2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . . is also an infinite sequence, sometimes called the sequence of natural numbers. 3. -1, 2, -3, 4, -5, . . . is also an alternating infinite sequence
Warning: We are not allowed to rearrange any infinite sequence for any purpose! Remember ordering is important. A curious fact about infinite sets. Analyzing their sizes can lead to interesting results. Sets 1 and 2 above are exactly the same size!
No way, you say? Set 2 has the number zero and Set 1 does not. Well, think about the function .
The x values come from the the sequence 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . . and the y values are the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . It is easy to see that we can match up every x with exactly one y. This is called a one-to-one correspondence. Finding it is enough to prove the sizes are the same. This also shows that a sequence is nothing more than the range of some function with the specific domain of the counting or natural numbers.
Where's the difference in the two sequences? In the domain of the sequences. An infinite sequence is understood to have the domain of the natural or counting numbers. (Sometimes the whole numbers are used when it is convenient.) What
we are doing is setting up a one-to-one correspondence between the set of natural numbers and an ordered list of values (the terms).
3. For {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, . . . , 100}, the formula is . 4. The following sequence is very different: {1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ...}. This is the Fibonacci sequence. In this case we are forced to write a formula that explains the next term in terms of the previous two terms. Before I go further, see if you can analyze the process creating the terms.
Now see if you can complete the formula. This one has to set the first two terms specifically, so a1 = 1 and a2 = 1. Then an =
In summation notation we write . The letter i is called the index. It has no relationship to the complex symbol i. We depend on context to keep this clear.
2. For {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . .} , the formula is The finite series is 0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + . . . In summation notation we write
We can stick with the letter n for the index since the upper end to the summation is infinity. 3. For the alternating infinite sequence -1, 2, -3, 4, -5, . . ., the formula is
In summation notation we write Notice how we used the powers of -1 to alternate the sign. 4. For the alternating infinite sequence -1, 2, -4, 8, -16, 32, . . ., the formula is
Notice again how we used the powers of -1 to alternate the sign. The next step is to decide when we can write convenient formulas to actually calculate the nth term and the actual sum of series when it is useful. In your next lesson we'll discuss arithmetic sequences and series and how to apply them.