Rewrite the following sum with the index of summation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around rewriting a summation with the index of summation starting at 3. Participants explore how to express the sum \(\sum_{i=1}^{6}(5+3i)\) in summation notation with the new index, considering various approaches and interpretations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about how to rewrite the sum and mentions the known total of 93.
  • Another suggests letting \(j=i+2\) to change the index, noting the new bounds for \(j\) as 3 to 8.
  • A different participant proposes finding integers \(x\) and \(y\) such that the sum can be expressed in a different form, questioning the necessity of the upper limit being 6.
  • One participant provides an example of rewriting the sum but does not clarify the reasoning behind their choice of bounds.
  • A participant reiterates the transformation of the index and the corresponding adjustment to the variable, providing a general rule for such transformations.
  • Another participant confirms the transformation and provides a detailed breakdown of the summand adjustment, arriving at the expression \(\sum_{j=3}^{8}(3j-1)\).
  • One participant repeats the initial question, suggesting an alternative approach to solving the problem without using the correct terminology.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best method to rewrite the sum, and multiple approaches are presented, indicating ongoing debate and uncertainty regarding the correct transformation.

Contextual Notes

Some participants question the necessity of keeping the upper limit at 6, and there are varying interpretations of how to adjust the summation index and variable. The discussion reflects differing levels of understanding and familiarity with summation properties.

Slicktacker
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Hi, I don't understand this problem at all:

Rewrite the following sum with the index of summation starting at 3 in summation notation:

[tex]\sum_{i=1}^{6}(5+3i)[/tex]

I know that the sum is [tex]93[/tex] but I'm not sure what to do...

Thanks for the help!
 
Last edited:
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Let j=i+2.

Since 1<=i<=6, clearly we have 3<=j<=8

Use this information to rewrite the the sum in terms of summation index j
 
My guess is that the author of the problem wants you to find (possibly integer?) x, y such that

[tex]\sum_{i=1}^{6}(5+3i) = \sum_{k = 3}^{6}(x + yk)[/tex].

But it's not really clear if upper limit of the sum has to be 6 (in that case, it's impossible to find integer solutions for x and y).
 
Last edited:
I tried the following:

[tex]\sum_{i=3}^{4}(36+3i)[/tex]

and it worked. Weird...
 
As arildno said: let j= i+ 2 (so that i= j- 2). The lower bound on the sum was i= 1 which corresponds to j= 1+2= 3. The upper bound was i= 6 which corresponds to j= 6+ 2= 8. In addition, the "summand" is 5+ 3i= 5+ 3(j- 2)= 5+ 3j- 6= 3j-1. The sum is
[tex]/sum_{j=3}^{8}{3j- 1}[/tex]
 
golden rule is, whatever you add to the index of summation, subtract from the variable. so, say you have an infinite series beginning with i=0 for the function i^2, and you are told to express this as a sum starting from i=3, you would subtract 3 from the variable; i.e the sum from i=0 to infinity of i^2 is identical to the sum from i=3 to infinity of (i-3)^2.

DB
 
[tex]\sum_{i=1}^{6}(5+3i) = \sum_{i=1+2}^{6+2}(5+3(i-2)) = \sum_{i=3}^{8}(5+3i-6) = \sum_{i=3}^{8}3i-1[/tex]
 
Last edited:
dannyboy said:
golden rule is, whatever you add to the index of summation, subtract from the variable. so, say you have an infinite series beginning with i=0 for the function i^2, and you are told to express this as a sum starting from i=3, you would subtract 3 from the variable; i.e the sum from i=0 to infinity of i^2 is identical to the sum from i=3 to infinity of (i-3)^2.

DB

This is similar to translating the "origin" (the starting value of the index). This is one of the properties of summations (but in effect it is no big deal since you're simply changing the way you add the quantities, but that does not mean you're changing the sum). This is however a very useful tip at times as dannyboy and JohnF have effectively demonstrated.

A quantity that does not depend on the index of the summation can be taken out of it. This means that [tex]\sum_{i = i_{min}}^{i_{max}}ax_{i}[/tex] equals [tex]a\sum_{i = i_{min}}^{i_{max}}x_{i}[/tex]. This (rather trivial sounding analogy but very useful at times) + dannyboy's tip + some other properties of summations coupled with some ingenuity can really help you in problems :-)

Cheers
Vivek
 
Slicktacker said:
Hi, I don't understand this problem at all:

Rewrite the following sum with the index of summation starting at 3 in summation notation:

[tex]\sum_{i=1}^{6}(5+3i)[/tex]

I know that the sum is [tex]93[/tex] but I'm not sure what to do...

Thanks for the help!

Couldn't you put the minimum and maximums as the same number, solve the original equation, and place the solution as the series to be summed. (I'll apologize for the lack of correct terms here as I learned my math in french)
 

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