ECON 1003

Problem Paper # 5

Determinants and Sequences

Find the solution to the systems in Exercises 1 – 5 by Cramer’s rule.

1. 5x −11y = 6 2. 3x + 7y + 8 = 0
7x − 8y = 3 2x − 3y − 4 = 0

3. x − 2y + 4z = −3 4. 3x − 5y − z = 4
3x + y − 2z = 12 2x + 4y + 3z = −1
2x + y − 3z = 7 2x + y + z = 0

5. x + 3y + z = −2
4x − 2y − 5z = −1
5x + 7y + 3z = −4

In Exercises 6 – 7, solve the word problem by writing as a system of linear

equations and solving by Cramer’s rule.

6. A small corporation borrowed $1,500,000 to expand its product line. Some of

the money was borrowed at 8%, some at 9%, and some at 12%. How much was
borrowed at each rate if the annual interest was $133,000 and the amount
borrowed at 8% was 4 times the amount borrowed at 12%?

7. A grocer wishes to mix three kinds of nuts costing $3.50, $4.50, and $6.00 per
kg, to obtain 50 kg of a mixture costing $4.95 per kg. How many kilograms of
each variety should the grocer use if half of the mixture is composed of the two
cheapest varieties?

In Exercises 8 – 11, write the first five terms of the given sequence.

2n n
8. a n = 9. a n = (−1) n −1
3n + 1 n +1
n −1
⎛ 2 ⎞ (−1) n
10. a n = ⎜ ⎟ 11. a n =
⎝ 3 ⎠ en
In Exercises 12 – 16, determine an expression for the nth term.

12. 1, 13 , 15 , 17 , … 13. 12 , − 23 , 34 , − 54

14. 12 , 34 , 78 , 16
15
,… 15. 0.5, 0.05, 0.005, 0.0005, …

In Exercises 16 – 17, write the first five terms of the given sequence.

17. a1 = 1
16. a1 = 2
a2 = 1
an = 3an−1, n ≥ 2
an = an−1 + an−2 , n ≥ 3
(This is called the Fibonacci sequence)

In Exercises 18 – 24, compute the following sums.

!" ! ! !! !"
18. !!! 𝑖 19. !!!(2𝑚 + 1) 20. !!! 2 21. !!! 2

!
! !!! ! ! ! ! !"
22. !!! ! 23. !!! !!! 𝑖 ∙ 3! 24. !!! !!! = !!!