Does the Infinite Series Converge or Diverge? A Problem on Complex Numbers

matpo39
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i need a little help with this problem:

determine if the infinite series converges or diverges.
summation (from n=1..infinity) {1/(n^2+i^n)}

I first applied the ration test to this series and got

(n+1)^2 + i^(n+1) / [n^2 + i^n]

i then multiplied top and bottom by (n^2 - i^n)
which gave

[{(n+1)^2 + i^(n+1) }* (n^2-i^n) ]/{n^4 - i^2n}

this is where i get stuck, i can't seem to simplify it any further.
if some one can give me some advice on it, it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
 
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the ratio test is the best way to do it. but when you've got an expression like

\frac{(n+1)^2+c}{n^2+d}

all you need to do is divide every term by n^2.
 
Also don't forget that it is the limit of the absolute value of the ratio that counts.
 
I don't think the ratio test works here. A simple comparison (of the terms' absolute values) seems to work better.
 
Last edited:
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...

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