At Westonci.ca, we make it easy to get the answers you need from a community of informed and experienced contributors. Get immediate and reliable solutions to your questions from a community of experienced professionals on our platform. Get detailed and accurate answers to your questions from a dedicated community of experts on our Q&A platform.

Which geometric series converges?

A. \(\frac{1}{81}+\frac{1}{27}+\frac{1}{9}+\frac{1}{3}+\ldots\)

B. \(1+\frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{8}+\ldots\)

C. \(\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} 7(-4)^{n-1}\)

D. [tex]\(\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{5}(2)^{n-1}\)[/tex]


Sagot :

To determine which geometric series converge, let's analyze each series and their common ratios.

1. First Geometric Series:
[tex]\[ \frac{1}{81} + \frac{1}{27} + \frac{1}{9} + \frac{1}{3} + \ldots \][/tex]
This series can be written as:
[tex]\[ a, ar, ar^2, ar^3, \ldots \][/tex]
where \(a = \frac{1}{81}\) and \(r = \frac{\frac{1}{27}}{\frac{1}{81}} = 3.0\).

For a geometric series to converge, the absolute value of the common ratio \(r\) must be less than 1. Here, the common ratio is \(3.0\), which is greater than 1.

Hence, this series does not converge.

2. Second Geometric Series:
[tex]\[ 1 + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{8} + \ldots \][/tex]
This series can be written as:
[tex]\[ a, ar, ar^2, ar^3, \ldots \][/tex]
where \(a = 1\) and \(r = \frac{\frac{1}{2}}{1} = 0.5\).

For a geometric series to converge, the absolute value of the common ratio \(r\) must be less than 1. Here, the common ratio is \(0.5\), which is less than 1.

Hence, this series converges.

3. Third Geometric Series:
[tex]\[ \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} 7(-4)^{n-1} \][/tex]
This series can be written as:
[tex]\[ a, ar, ar^2, ar^3, \ldots \][/tex]
where \(a = 7\) and \(r = -4\).

For a geometric series to converge, the absolute value of the common ratio \(r\) must be less than 1. Here, the common ratio is \(-4\), which has an absolute value of \(4\), which is greater than 1.

Hence, this series does not converge.

4. Fourth Geometric Series:
[tex]\[ \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{5}(2)^{n-1} \][/tex]
This series can be written as:
[tex]\[ a, ar, ar^2, ar^3, \ldots \][/tex]
where \(a = \frac{1}{5}\) and \(r = 2\).

For a geometric series to converge, the absolute value of the common ratio \(r\) must be less than 1. Here, the common ratio is \(2\), which is greater than 1.

Hence, this series does not converge.

In summary, the only geometric series among the given options that converges is:
[tex]\[ 1 + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{8} + \ldots \][/tex]