It is given that where is a positive integer.
- (a)
By considering , find an expression for .
- (b)
Hence find an expression for .
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Worked solution
5(a)
1. Evaluate and simplify $\text{f}(r) - \text{f}(r+1)$ to show its relationship to the summand.
2. Express the summation using the method of differences and cancel the intermediate terms.
3. Substitute the specific values into the function $\text{f}$ to obtain the final simplified expression.
\frac{2}{5} - \frac{n+1}{5^n}
5(b)
1. State the result from part (a), finding the expression for the sum by the method of differences.
First, evaluate the expression established in part (a):
2. Apply an index substitution to match the denominator in the target sum with part (a).
Let . When , ; when , .
3. Split the modified sum into a term resembling part (a) and a separate term.
4. Evaluate the first summation using the result from part (a).
Replacing with in the result derived in part (a):
5. Evaluate the second summation as a finite geometric series.
The series is a geometric progression with first term , common ratio , and terms.
6. Combine the parts and simplify algebraically to obtain a single expression.
Summing the evaluations together:
Notice that . Gather constant terms and terms with in the denominator:
\frac{11}{20} - \frac{4n+11}{4 \cdot 5^{n+1}}
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