Efficient Evaluation of Sigma Notation: Solving for the Sum of a Series

In summary, the problem posed is that Evaluate is not a function that can be solved using basic mathematics. The first summation is correct, but not the second. The geometric series part is that 2^i is the form of \frac{1-2^{n+1}}{1-2} which is correct.
  • #1
mateomy
307
0
The problem posed is:
Evaluate
[tex]
\sum_{i=1}^{n} (2i + 2^i)
[/tex]

I know that I can break the summation down to this:

[tex]
2\sum_{i=1}^{n} i\, +\, 2\sum_{i=1}^{n}1^i
[/tex]

and then after using some Fundamental Theorems...

[tex]
=2\Bigg(\frac{n(n+1)}{2}\Bigg) + 2^n
[/tex]

I can't seem to get it to look like my answer key which is...

[tex]
2^{n+1} + n^2 + n-2
[/tex]

Clearly I am doing something wrong, I know I can expand my last step but when I do, it doesn't look anything close to what the book is showing me. Particularly, where are they getting the n-2 ? Where is my step wrong? THanks in advance for any help.
 
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  • #2
mateomy said:
The problem posed is:
Evaluate
[tex]
\sum_{i=1}^{n} (2i + 2^i)
[/tex]

I know that I can break the summation down to this:

[tex]
2\sum_{i=1}^{n} i\, +\, 2\sum_{i=1}^{n}1^i
[/tex]
The first summation is correct, but not the second. 2n [itex]\neq[/itex] 2 * 1n.
mateomy said:
and then after using some Fundamental Theorems...

[tex]
=2(\frac{n(n+1)}{2}) + 2^n
[/tex]

I can't seem to get it to look like my answer key which is...

[tex]
2^{n+1} + n^2 + n-2
[/tex]

Clearly I am doing something wrong, I know I can expand my last step but when I do, it doesn't look anything close to what the book is showing me. Particularly, where are they getting the n-2 ? Where is my step wrong? THanks in advance for any help.
 
  • #3
Am I just supposed to expand it from 1 to n then? (the second summation) I can't find anything in this chapter that deals with integers to a variable power...(thanks btw)
 
  • #4
[itex]\sum 2^i[/itex] is a finite geometric series, right? You should have seen problems that deal with series like this.
 
  • #5
Okay, so I figured out the geometric sequence part of the problem basically being [itex] 2^i [/itex] which is the form of

[tex]
\frac{1-2^{n+1}}{1-2}
[/tex]

Is that right? I don't think that it is because I am missing a factor of 2 in there, I believe? (or not?)
 
  • #6
You're off by a little bit. For the geometric series you should get
[tex]\frac{2-2^{n+1}}{1-2}[/tex]

which is the same as 2n+1 - 2.

Notice that the series starts with i = 1, not i = 0, so the first term of the geometric series is 2, not 1.
 
  • #7
Thank you so much, this helped a lot.
 
  • #8
One more question...

Im confused as to why the numerator is [itex]2-2^{n+1}[/itex] specifically the individual 2 in the front. My initial geometric sequence (see above) is -numerator only- [itex]1-2^{n+1}[/itex], is that one just a default and you're supposed to be putting the outcome of the first term in front?
Again, sorry for the 20 questions, but the section in my book says absolutely nothing on geometric sequence with regards to summation, I had to dig that equation out of Google. THanks again, this is really really helping.
 
  • #9
The geometric series part is
[tex]\sum_{i=1}^{n}2^i[/tex]

If we expand this, we get
Sn = 2 + 4 + ... + 2n
2Sn = 4 + 8 + ... + 2n + 2n + 1

so 2Sn - Sn = 2n + 1 - 2
==> Sn = 2n + 1 - 2

or,
[tex]\sum_{i=1}^{n}2^i = 2^{n + 1} - 2[/tex]
 
  • #10
Perfect, thank you very much.
 

1. What is sigma notation and why is it used?

Sigma notation is a mathematical representation used to denote the sum of a series of numbers. It is commonly used in calculus and statistics to simplify complex calculations involving large sets of data.

2. How do you evaluate a series using sigma notation?

To evaluate a series using sigma notation, you need to first determine the starting and ending values of the series. Then, plug in each value into the expression represented by the sigma notation and add them together to get the final result.

3. What is the difference between upper and lower limits in sigma notation?

The upper limit represents the last term in the series while the lower limit represents the first term. The difference between these two values determines the number of terms in the series.

4. Can sigma notation be used for infinite series?

Yes, sigma notation can be used for infinite series. In this case, the upper limit is represented by the infinity symbol (∞) and the number of terms in the series is infinite.

5. How is sigma notation related to the area under a curve?

Sigma notation is used to approximate the area under a curve by dividing it into smaller rectangles and finding the sum of their areas. As the number of rectangles increases, the approximation becomes more accurate.

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