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Sigma Notation WS

This document introduces summation notation and provides examples for writing expressions using sigma notation. It shows how to represent sums of terms as indexed summations, including cases with variable bounds or terms containing variables. Exercises are provided to practice writing long-hand sums using sigma notation and vice versa.

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Duff Kneeyy
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320 views3 pages

Sigma Notation WS

This document introduces summation notation and provides examples for writing expressions using sigma notation. It shows how to represent sums of terms as indexed summations, including cases with variable bounds or terms containing variables. Exercises are provided to practice writing long-hand sums using sigma notation and vice versa.

Uploaded by

Duff Kneeyy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Name:

Summation Notation Worksheet

1 Introduction

Sigma notation is used as a convenient shorthand notation for the


summation of terms. For example:
5
X
1. We write n = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5.
n=1
P
Here the symbol (sigma) indicates a sum. The variable n is
called the index and increments by 1 with each iteration. The
numbers at the top and bottom of the sigma are called upper and
lower bounds, respectively. These tell us the starting and ending
values of the index. What comes after the sum is an algebraic
expression representing the terms in the sum.
5
X
2. n3 = 13 + 23 + 33 + 43 + 53
n=1
5
X
3. n3 = 33 + 43 + 53
n=3
4
X 1 1 1 1
4. =1+ + +
i=1
i 2 3 4
Note that we used i instead of n in the last example. The name
of the indexing variable is not important, though it is customary
to use i, m, n, or k as index variables.

1
It is often the case that we have a sum of a list of terms that we wish
P
to express using notation.
P
5. Write the expression 3 + 6 + 9 + 12 + · · · + 60 using notation.
- Notice that we are adding multiples of 3;
X20
- then this sum can be written as 3n. (Alternatively, you
n=1
may index with i or k, etc.)
6. Write the expression 1 + 14 + 17 + 10
1 1
P
+ · · · + 3n+1 in notation.
- Notice that we are adding fractions with a numerator of 1 and
denominators which start at 1 and increase by 3 each time.
- Thus the denominator may be represented by 3k + 1 for k =
0, 1, . . . , n;
n
X 1
- then this sum can be written as
3k + 1
k=0
Here we see a case where one of the bounds is itself a variable.
Be careful to distinguish between this variable and the index for
the sum!
P
We can also use notation when we have variables in our terms.
2 3 4 20
P
7. Write the expression 3x + 6x + 9x + 12x + · · · + 60x in
notation.
- The coefficients are successive multiples of 3, while the expo-
nents on the x-term go up by 1 each time;
20
X
- then this sum can be written as (3i)xi
i=1

2
Exercises

Write out each of the following sums long-hand:


6
X
1. n4
n=1
7
X k+1
2.
k
k=3
n
X
3. (2i − 1)
i=2
n
X
4. 2k+1xk
k=0
n
X (−1)k xk
5.
2k + 1
k=0
P
Write each of the following sums using notation.
6. 1 + 4 + 9 + 16 + 25 + 36
7. 3 − 5 + 7 − 9 + 11 − 13 + 15
1
8. 2 + 51 + 18 + 11
1 1
+ 14 1
+ 17
2
9. 3 + 43 + 45 + · · · + n+1
n+2

10. 2 − 22 + 23 − 24 + · · · + 22n+1
11. 2x3 + 4x5 + 6x7 + · · · + 30x31
2 4 6 8
12. 1 + x2! + x4! + x6! + x8!

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