3-1: The nth Term Test and Sum of a Series

Prakash Balachandran
Department of Mathematics
Duke University

January 24, 2010

1. Homework Questions
2. The nth Term Test

1 Homework Questions
P∞ 1
• Evaluate j=1 j(j+2) .
 
1 1 1 1
– j(j+2)
= 2 j
− j+2
.
P   P Pn+2 1  1
– Sn = nj=1 j(j+2)
1
= 12 nj=1 1j − j+2
1
= 12 n 1
= 2 1 + 12 − 1 1
P

j=1 j − j=3 j n+1
− n+2
.

– S= ∞ 1 1 1 1 1
P
3
j=1 j(j+2) = limn→∞ Sn = limn→∞ 2 1 + 2 − n+1 − n+2 = 4 .

4(−1)k
• You should’ve found in # 5 in the handout that ∞
P
k=0 2k+1
≈ π. We’ll prove this later in the semester.
P∞ 4
Notice something important though: k=0 2k+1 = ∞ by # 4, but the series in #5 converges due to cancel-
lations.
• What is the limit of the sequence:
 n ∞
– n+1 − n+1n n=1
,
∞
– cos nπ


2 n=1
,
 n ∞
– 2n n=1 ,
√ √ ∞
– n + 1 − n n=1 .
P∞ 1
• k=2 k2 −1
1 1
= 21 k−11 1


– = (k+1)(k−1)
k2 −1
− k+1 .

– Sn = nk=2 k21−1 = 12 nk=2 k−1 1 1

1 Pn−1 1 Pn+1 1
1
1 + 21 − 1 1
P P

− k+1 =2 k=1 k − k=3 k = 2 n
− n+1
.
– S= ∞ 1 1 1 1 1
P
3
k=2 k2 −1 = limn→∞ Sn = limn→∞ 2 1 + 2 − n − n+1 = 4 .

1 j
• −2 + 1 − 12 + 14 − 18 + 16
1
+ · · · = −2 + ∞ = −2 + 1+1 1 = − 43 .
P

j=0 − 2
2

• For what values of the variable does the sum converge?

1
 z j
z z2 z3
P∞ 1
 
which converges for  z2  < 1 ⇔ |z| < 2.


– 1+ 2
+ 4
+ 8
+ ··· = j=0 2
= 1− z2
 
y2 y3 y2 y j
y
+ 9 + ··· = 4 + y ∞ = 4 + 1−y y which converges
P

– 4 + y + + + ··· = 4 + y 1 +
3 9 3 j=0 3 3
for  y  < 1 ⇔ |y| < 3.
 
3

2 The nth Term Test

• For most series, there’s no way of computing a simple formula for Sn . So, it’s natural to ask, if we can’t
compute Sn how are we going to be able to tell if {Sn }∞
n=1 converges or not?
• Why do we care? Because if we know that a series converges, then we can approximate the limit by Sn for
large n.
• Theorem 1 (nth term test for convergence) If a series ∞
P
P∞ j=1 aj converges, then aj → 0. Another way of
saying the same thing: if limj→∞ aj 6= 0 then j=1 aj diverges.

Proof: Recall that Sn = nj=1 aj and Sn−1 = j=1 aj . So, an = Sn − Sn−1 . If ∞

P Pn−1 P
j=1 aj = S converges,
then Sn → S and Sn−1 → S as n → ∞ so that an = Sn − Sn−1 → S − S = 0. 
• Example: ∞ n
P
n=1 (−1) .
– Nope.
P∞ 1
• j=1 n .

– it passes the nth term test.

– But it doesn’t converge:
∞
X 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
S= =1+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ···
j=1
j 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
     
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
=1+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ···
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1 1 1 1
≥1+ + + + + · · · = ∞.
2 2 2 2
P∞ 1
• j=1 2j .
– Nope.
P∞ 1
• j=1 jj.
– Nope (why?).
P∞ R n+1 −x
• n=0 n e dx.
– Yep. What’s the sum?
– What is it roughly approximating?
P∞ n!
• n=1 (n+1)! .

– Nope.