Algebra 1

Section 8.3

Geometric Sequences
Defining a Geometric Sequence

As discussed in 8.1, sequences can be defined arithmetically or recursively. A geometric sequence

is a specific kind of sequence that can be defined explicitly according to the following form.

Sn = S1 rn1

Where S1 is the first term in the sequence, and r is the common ratio of the sequence. The
common ratio is the ratio of a term to the previous term in the sequence. The successive terms of an
arithmetic sequence change by a constant factor.

The formula for a geometric series may look like an exponential function, and in fact it is an
exponential function with a restricted domain containing a subset of the positive integers (or all of the
positive integers for an infinite sequence).

Currently, we will require that r > 0. Notice this means that it is possible that r = 21 , or another
fractional value. This would mean that the terms in a sequence decrease, rather than increase.

To find the value of r, simply divide any term of the sequence by the previous term. If two non-
adjacent terms are given, one can use the formula for finding the equation of an exponential function,
because a geometric sequence is an exponential function.

q
y2
n= x2 x1
y1

Simply realize that for any two positive integer values n and m less than or equal to the number
of terms in a sequence, the formula above can be translated into the formula below.

q
Sm
r= mn
Sn

For example, given the table below, one can find the equation for the geometric sequence that
produces the table.

n Sn
2 6
5 162
q
162

Then notice that r = 3
6 = 3
27 = 3. Then, we know Sn = S1 3n1 , so we can pick n = 2
or n = 5 and plug it into that formula to find S1 . We will choose n = 2. S2 = 6 = S1 321 = S1 3,
so 6 = S1 3 and thus S1 = 2. That means the equation for the geometric sequence is Sn = 2 3n1 .

Two terms and their indices can be given in the form of a graph, table, sentence, or sequence and
the method for finding the equation for the sequence is the same as above.

1
Examples

Here are a few examples to test the concepts provided in this section. Answers can be found on
the following pages.

1. Write the function f (x) = 2 3x as an infinite sequence S where Sn = f (n).

2. Write an explicit rule for the sequence S given below.

S = {6, 12, 24, 48}

3. Write the first four terms of the infinite sequence S given by the explicit rule Sn = 4 2n .

2
Solutions

These are the solutions to the questions on the previous page

1. The first term is S1 and Sn = f (n) so S1 = f (1) = 2 31 = 6. Then, each successive term is
3 times greater than the previous term. An explicit rule for S is Sn = 2 3n and the first few
terms of the infinite sequence are given below.

S = {6, 18, 54, 162, ...}

q
2. Let m = 2 and n = 1. Then use the formula r = mn SSm n
. Sm = 12 and Sn = 6. Thus,
q
r = 1 12 n 1
6 = 2. The formula Sn = 2 doesnt work however, since S1 = 6 6= 2 = 2. However,
adding the coefficient 3 works since S1 = 3 21 = 6, S2 = 3 22 = 12, and so on.

3. Simply plug n = 1, 2, 3, 4... into the formula for Sn .

S = {8, 16, 32, 64, ...}