SHS

PRE- CALCULUS
Quarter 1 – Week 7
Module 8: SEQUENCES AND SERIES
Pre-Calculus – SHS
Quarter 1 – Module 8: SEQUENCES AND SERIES

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Writer: RICHARD C. AREVALO JR.
Editors: MA. LUISA C. AREVALO, NENITA D. BAGADIONG, JOY P. FRAGO
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 QUARTER 1
MODULE 8
I. Title of Material/Introduction:
Sequences and Series
The concept of sequence and series is an important mathematical
idea that has varied applications. As a basic concept, it plays a vital role in
more advanced mathematics.
In this module, we shall tackle the different types of sequences and
series but with more emphasis on the types of sequence and series
which arise frequently in everyday life.

II. Objectives:
After going through this module, you should be able to:
a. illustrate a series;
b. differentiate a series from a sequence; and
c. find the indicated terms of the sequence and give their associated
series.

III. Vocabulary List:

Arithmetic Means – the terms between two numbers in an arithmetic
sequence
Arithmetic Series – the sum of all terms of an arithmetic sequence
Arithmetic Sequence – a sequence where each term after the first is
obtained by adding the same constant
Common Difference – a constant added to each term of an arithmetic
sequence to obtain the next term of the sequence.
Common Ratio – a constant multiplied to each term of a geometric sequence
to obtain the next term of the sequence.
Fibonacci Sequence – a sequence where its first two terms are either both
1, or 0 and 1; and each term, thereafter, is obtained by adding the two
preceding terms
Finite Sequence – a function whose domain is the finite set
Geometric Means – the terms between two numbers in a geometric
sequence
Geometric Sequence – a sequence where each term after the first is
obtained by multiplying the preceding term by the same constant
Harmonic Means – terms between any two terms of a harmonic sequence
Harmonic Sequence – a sequence such that the reciprocals of the terms
form arithmetic sequence
Harmonic Series – the sum from to infinity with terms
Infinite Sequence – a function whose domain is the infinite set
Partial Sum – the sum of a specified number of terms of a sequence.
Sequence/progression – a set of numbers, called terms, arranged in some
particular order. It is a function whose domain is the set of positive integers or
the set and whose range is a subset of real numbers
Series – represents the sum of the terms of a sequence

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 Term – any number in a sequence
IV. Pre – Test:

Directions: Find out how much you already know about this module. Write the letter
of the correct answer on your answer sheet. Take note of the items that you were not
able to answer correctly and find the right answer as you go through this module.
1. Which of the following does not represent a sequence?
A. -7,-4,-1,2,… C.
B. 9, 3, , , … D.

2. Which of the following illustrates series?

A. 2, -2, 2, -2, … C. 3 + 3 – 3 + 3 – 3
B. 1, 10, 100, 1000, … D. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, …

3. Determine the first four terms of the sequence defined by .

A. 2, 9, 22, 41 C. 2, 4, 8, 16
B. 1, -2, 3, -4 D. 2n, 4n2, 22n3, 16n4

4. Find the sum of the first 15 terms of the geometric progression

A. 229,639 B. 229,369 C. 229, 693 D. 226,969

5. Find the sum of the integers 1 to 50 inclusive.
A. 1250 B. 1275 C. 2500 D. 2550

V. Learning Activities:

Learning Situation 1: Sequences and Series

A. Sequences

Definition: A sequence is a set of numbers, called terms, arranged in some

particular order. It is a function whose domain is the set of positive numbers and
whose range is a subset of real numbers.

Example1
a) the first 10 terms of the set of even counting numbers: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14,
16, 18, 20
b) the squares of the first 8 natural numbers: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64
c) the list of odd numbers: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, …
d) the list of integers in descending order starting from 1: 1, 0, -1, -2, -3, -4,..
The numbers or values in the sequence are called terms. We can identify the term by
its place in the sequence: first, second, third, and so on.
In the sequence: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12,.. the first term is 2, the second term is 4, the third
term is 4, and so on.
Terms are written as

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 , where specifies the number of terms a sequence has and

is the of the sequence. The small numbers beside specify the place of the term
in the sequence. Thus is the first term, is the second term, is the third term,
and so on.
In a sequence, the list of numbers might be short or long. It can even be unending.
A sequence which has last term is called a finite sequence while a list that
continues without end is called an infinite sequence.
Example 2
a) the first 5 natural numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
b) the sequence of the multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, …
c) the set of even numbers: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, …
d) the multiples of 4 up to the number 40: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 40
Solution
a and d are examples of finite sequences while b and c are examples of
infinite sequences. The three dots at the end of an infinite sequence (...) indicate that
the sequence goes on without stopping.

A sequence is usually denoted by their general or term.

For example,
. This equation provides how we will compute for
the term of the sequence. To get the value of a specified term, replace with the
number of the term.
Example 3 Find the first 3 terms of .

Solution Replace with 1, 2, and 3.

The domain of the sequence is the set

The range of the sequence is

B. Series
. Definition: Given the sequence,

a series is the sum of the terms

+ .

The sum of an infinite sequence is an infinite series. A partial sum is the sum
of the first terms. A partial sum is also called a finite series, and is denoted
as where denotes the number of terms in the sum.
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Let us illustrate series.

If is a sequence, then

is the corresponding sum or series.

If we want to get the sum of only the first 4 terms in the sequence, it is a partial sum
written as which is equal to .

Example 4

For the sequence

Find .

Solution

Before we proceed with the different types of sequence, let’s study the following
solved examples.
Find the first 5 terms of each defined sequence and then find

1.

Solution

First five terms:

Therefore,

2.

Solution

First 5 terms:

Therefore,

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3.

Solution First 5 terms:

Therefore,

Can you now differentiate a sequence from a series? If your answer is yes,
we now proceed with Learning Situation 2. If no, just go over the discussion again
until you understand the concept before you proceed.
Learning Situation 2
Types of Sequence
A. Arithmetic Sequence and Series

Definition: Arithmetic sequence is a sequence in which the difference

between any two consecutive terms is the same. This constant difference
between two consecutive terms is called the common difference. An arithmetic
sequence is also called arithmetic progression.

Example 5
Given the following arithmetic sequences, identify the first term and the
common difference .

a) 7, 13, 19, 24, 31, …

b) 42, 37, 32, 27, 22, …
c) 8, 1, -6, -13, -20, …
Solution
We get the common difference by selecting any term after the first term and
subtract the preceding term from it ).

Common difference,
Sequence First term,
a) 7, 13, 19, 24, 31, … 7 6
b) 42, 37, 32, 27, 22, … 42 -5
c) 8, 1, -6, -13, -20, … 8 -7

Let us look at the first sequence in Example 1. For the sequence

is added to the preceding term to get the next term.

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 Observe the pattern. From the example above, we can say that,

Notice the coefficient of It is less than For example, for , the

coefficient of is less than the value of , which is

From this, we can generalize that the term of an arithmetic sequence will
be

, for any ,

where the first term

the number of terms
the common difference.

Let us apply this formula in different situations. Study the following illustrative
examples.

Example 6

Given the following arithmetic sequences, find the specified term using
the formula for the general term.
a)
b)
Solution

a)
Note that
Using the formula for the term, we have

b)

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 Note that
Using the formula for the term, we have

Example 7
Given the arithmetic sequence and an term, find
a) 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, … which term is 173?
b) 4, 12, 20, 28, 36, … which term is 836?
Solution
a) To find we substitute into the formula and solve for

Therefore, 173 is the term.

b) To find we substitute into the formula and solve for

Therefore, 836 is the term.

Example 8
Given the following terms, find the first term, and the common difference. Also
write the term of the arithmetic sequence .

Solution

Since , that means to get from 34 to 133, we have

to add eleven times.

Solving for we have,

Since we subtract from thrice to get

Hence, the term for this sequence is

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Example 9
List the first three terms of the arithmetic sequence if the term is 35 and
the term is 5.

Solution

Eliminating by subtraction,
This implies that and the first three terms are

Are you still with me? Analyze carefully the next presentation.

The sum of all terms of an arithmetic sequence is called an arithmetic

series. We shall derive the formula for the arithmetic series.

Let

or Eq. 1

If we reverse the order of the terms in Eq. 1 by writing as the first term, then the
second term is , the third term is and so on to the term which is
now Hence,

Eq. 2

Adding Eq. 1 and Eq. 2 , we get

Eq. 3

Since arithmetic sequence has terms, the sum appears times. Hence
Eq. 3 may be written as

and solving for we obtain

If is unknown, we have another formula for by substituting

in the first formula of Thus,

Simplifying, we get
.

Example 10 Find the sum of the first terms of the arithmetic sequence

Solution
Given:
Hence,

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This time we will consider the concept of an arithmetic mean.

The arithmetic mean of two numbers is defined as This is

commonly referred to as the average.
In general, if we are given two numbers, we can find one or more terms in
between the two numbers such that the sequence formed is an arithmetic sequence.
This terms in between are called arithmetic means. Study the following examples.

Example 11 Insert three arithmetic means between 22 and 34.

Solution
Here, we know that ,
We will use the formula to solve for and find the
arithmetic means.

Now, we can get the three terms in between 22 and 34.

Thus, the three arithmetic means in between 22 and 34 are 25, 28, and 31.

B. Geometric Sequence and Series

Definition: A geometric sequence, which is also known as a geometric

progression, is a sequence of quantities called terms for which any element,
except the first element, can be obtained by multiplying a constant , called
the common ratio, to the preceding element.

Hence, if the geometric sequence is denoted by , with common ratio

then we can define each term as

Thus, the general formula in finding the term of a certain geometric progression is

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Example 12 Find the term of the geometric progression

Solution From the given geometric progression, we have

and
Thus, using the formula in finding the term of a geometric
progression,

Example 13 Find the term of the geometric sequence.

Solution
Given: , , and

Hence,

Now, let us consider the geometric series or the sum of the terms of a geometric
sequence. Denote as the sum of the first terms of a geometric sequence
expressed as
Eq. 1
Multiplying Eq. 1 by , where then we have
Eq. 2
Then, subtracting Eq. 2 from Eq. 1 and solving for

Therefore,
or ,

When the formula becomes

Example 14 Find the sum of the first 15 terms of the geometric sequence

Solution
Given: , , and
Hence,

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For infinite geometric series, we can use the formula,

for any .

Note: Always check if before using the formula for getting the sum of an
infinite series.

Example 15 Check whether the following infinite geometric series has a sum. If so,
find it.
a) b)
Solution
a)
Since and the formula only works when , the
series does not have a sum.

b)
Since , and the series has a sum.

Applying the formula, we get

Now, let us consider the concept of geometric means.

Definition: Geometric means are the terms between two numbers in a geometric
sequence.

Example 16 Insert two geometric means between

Solution
Since we want to insert two geometric means, this means that there
are four terms in the sequence, with and and .

To find we use the formula

By substitution

To get the two geometric means between , multiply

and then multiply the result by 2. The resulting sequence will
be

Therefore, the two geometric means between and are and

C. Harmonic Sequence
Definition: A Harmonic Sequence, also known as harmonic
progression, is a sequence of terms whose reciprocals form an arithmetic
sequence. Thus, in solving for the term of the harmonic sequence, set
first the reciprocals of the terms of a harmonic sequence to form an
arithmetic sequence. Then find the term.
Note: No term of an arithmetic sequence is equal to
and 11
Example 17 Find the term of the harmonic sequence

Solution Get the reciprocal of each term:

5, 10, 15, 20, … the new sequence is an arithmetic sequence. Thus,
to solve for the term, we will use the formula

Hence,

Therefore, the term of the given harmonic sequence is the

reciprocal of which is

The harmonic means are terms in between any terms of a harmonic sequence. For
example, in the harmonic sequence ,…
is the harmonic mean of
are harmonic means of
To find a harmonic mean in between two terms in a harmonic sequence, we
can go back to the arithmetic sequence, get the arithmetic mean. The reciprocal of
the arithmetic means are the harmonic means.

Example Insert two harmonic means between

Solution
Get first the reciprocal of .
Let ,
Use the formula, , then substitute

To get two terms next to add then add again to the result.
Thus, the two arithmetic means are
Hence, the two harmonic means in between are

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Now, let us consider the harmonic series.

Harmonic series is the sum from to infinity with terms .

In symbol, .

If you write out the first few terms, the series unfold as follows:
As tends to infinity, tends to zero. However, the series
actually diverges. Even though we continue adding extremely tiny numbers of as
gets larger, our partial sums will still be growing without bound. Finding the partial
sum of harmonic sequence needs the concept of calculus. Hence, it is not included
in this module.

Example 18
The series of the reciprocals of natural numbers is called harmonic
series since the middle term of any three successive terms is the
harmonic mean.

1+

D. Fibonacci Sequence

Definition:
The Fibonacci sequence is a sequence where its first two terms are either
both 1, or 0 and 1; and each term, thereafter, is obtained by adding the two
preceding terms.
The Fibonacci sequence is given as

Example 19 Write the first 10 numbers in the Fibonacci sequence.

Solution We know that the first two terms of the sequence are either both 1 or 0
and 1. Thus,

First two terms are both 1 First two terms are 0 and 1

After studying the different examples, can you differentiate a sequence from a
series? Let’s see if you can.
VI. Practice Exercises:
Practice Task 1

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Write SEQ if the given item is a sequence, and write SER if it is a series.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Great job! Since you can now differentiate a sequence from a series, more tasks are
given for you to test your knowledge on the different concepts you learned from this
module. Good luck!

Practice Task 2

Write A if the sequence is arithmetic, G if it is geometric, F if Fibonacci, H if harmonic,

and O if it is not one of the mentioned types.

a) e)
b) f)
c) g) ,
d) h)

Practice Task 3
Determine the first five terms of each defined sequence, and give their
associated series.

1.
2.
3. , for
4.

Practice Task 4
Identify the type of series (and write NAG if it is not arithmetic and geometric
series) and determine the sum (and write NO SUM if it cannot be summed up).

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

VII. Post Test:

Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer on your answer sheet.

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1. Which of the following represents a sequence?
A. 1+2+3+4+5 C. 11, 2, -7, -16
B. 1+1+2+3+5+8 D. 5 – 5 + 5 – 5 – 5
2. Which of the following does not represent a series?
A. -10, -7, -4, -1, 2… C. -1 + 1 – 1 + 1 – 1
B. -1+10 –100+1000 D. 1 + 2 + 8 + 16
3. Determine the first five terms of the sequence defined by .
A. C.
B. D.
4. Determine the series of the first 10 terms of the sequence
A. 60 B. 20 C. -40 D. -80
5. Find the sum of all even integers between 80 and 196.
A. 5016 B. 5064 C. 6120 D. 7866

VIII. Assignment

Solve the following problems.

1. Find the 5th term of the arithmetic sequence whose third term is 35 and whose
10th term is 77.
2. Suppose that the fourth term of a geometric sequence is and the sixth term is
. Find the first and the common ratio.

3. Evaluate the infinite series .

References:
Department of Education (Bureau of Learning Resources) Pre – Calculus
Learner’s Material. Lexicon Press Inc., Philippines, 2016
Department of Education (Bureau of Learning Resources) Pre - Calculus
Teacher’s Guide. Lexicon Press Inc., Philippines, 2016
Department of Education (Instructional Materials Council Secretariat) Mathematics
Learner’s Module Grade 10. REX Book Store, Inc., Philippines, 2015.
Dignadice, Anne Diongzon. Intermediate Algebra. Wizard Publishing House, Inc.,
Philippines,2006.
Feliciano and Uy. Modern College Algebra. Merriam & Webster Bookstore,
Inc., Philippines,1991.
Murray, Andrew V., High School Subject for Self – Study., Vol III., Success Unlimited
Enterprises, Philippines, 2010
https://study.com academy harmonics

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Answer Key:

Pre-test:
1. D 2. C 3. A 4. B 5. B

Practice Task 1
1. SEQ
2. SEQ
3. SER
4. SEQ
5. SER
6. SER

Practice Task 2
a. A e. H
b. O f. F
c. G g. O
d. O h. G
Practice Task 3
1.
Associated series:
2.
Associated series:
3.
Associated series:
4.
Associated series:

Practice Task 4
1. Arithmetic, 442
2. Geometric,
3. NAG, 220
4. Arithmetic, 144
5. Geometric, 12.5
6. NAG, NO SUM
7. Geometric,

Post Test:
1. C 2. A 3. B 4. D 5. D

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