Infinite Summation IB Math SL

Portfolio - Type I
A. Introduction

Aim: In this task, you will investigate the sum of infinite sequences , where

A notation that you may find helpful in this task is the factorial notation , defined
by

e.g. 5 Note that 0

B. Consider the following sequence of terms where and .

I. Calculate the sum of the first n terms of the above sequence for .
Give your answers correct to six decimal places.

II. Using technology, plot the relation between and n. Describe what you notice
from your plot. What does this suggest about the value of as n approaches
?

C. Consider another sequence of terms where and .

I. Calculate the sum of the first n terms of the above sequence for .
Give your answers correct to six decimal places.

II. Using technology, plot the relation between and n. Describe what you notice
from your plot. What does this suggest about the value of as n approaches
?

D. Now consider a general sequence where .

 I. Calculate the sum of the first n terms of this general sequence for
for different values of a. Give your answers correct to six decimal places.

II. Using technology, plot the relation between and n. Describe what you notice
from your plot. What does this suggest about the value of as n approaches
?

III. Use your observations from these investigations to find a general statement that
represents the infinite sum of this general sequence.

E. Now we will expand our investigation to determine the sum of the infinite sequence ,
where

Define as the sum of the first n terms, for various values of a and x,

e.g. is the sum of the first nine terms when and .

I. Let . Calculate for various positive values of x.

II. Using technology, plot the relation between and x. Describe what you
notice from your plot.

III. Let . Calculate for various positive values of x.

IV. Using technology, plot the relation between and x. Describe what you
notice from your plot.

F. Continue with this analysis to find the general statement for as n approaches .
 I. Test the validity of the general statement with other values of a and x.

II. Discuss the scope and/or limitations of the general statement.

III. Explain how you arrived at the general statement.

G. Conclusion