[Not Homework] Converging Series Problem (Fly and Einstein)

suporia
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This is not homework but a problem I would like to learn to solve before my exam.

Homework Statement



https://dl.dropbox.com/u/23889576/Screenshots/01.png

Homework Equations



Series Formulae

The Attempt at a Solution



I went about trying to determine a sum formula for the fly's distance traveled but could not get very far. Any help available would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
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hi suporia! :wink:

show us how far you've got, and where you're stuck, and then we'll know how to help! :smile:
 
Hi,

I wasn't sure how to even start approaching the problem (determining the equation for the series).
 
suporia said:
I went about trying to determine a sum formula for the fly's distance traveled but could not get very far.

show us how far you did get :smile:
 
How long until they meet? If the fly is flying at 7 m/s how far does it fly in that time?
 
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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