Power Series Help: Find Interval of Convergence

STJ
Messages
6
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Find interval of convergence and radius of convergence of the following infinite series.

Series from n=1 to infinity ((-3)^n * x^n) / (n*(n)^1/2)

Homework Equations


Ratio test

The Attempt at a Solution



I've started with the ratio test and end up getting 3xn^(3/2) / (n+1)^(3/2) after cancellation. I don't know how to cancel anything else out, I'm guessing L'Hopital's rule but that doesn't seem right. I feel like I should be able to do more cancellation here.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
STJ said:

Homework Statement


Find interval of convergence and radius of convergence of the following infinite series.

Series from n=1 to infinity ((-3)^n * x^n) / (n*(n)^1/2)


Homework Equations


Ratio test


The Attempt at a Solution



I've started with the ratio test and end up getting 3xn^(3/2) / (n+1)^(3/2) after cancellation. I don't know how to cancel anything else out, I'm guessing L'Hopital's rule but that doesn't seem right. I feel like I should be able to do more cancellation here.

Just use elementary algebra:
\frac{n^{3/2}}{(n+1)^{3/2}} = \left( \frac{n}{n+1}\right)^{3/2}
What happens to this ratio when ##n \to \infty?##
 
  • Like
Likes 1 person
What can you say about n/(n+1) as n →∞?
 
I swear I think to hard sometimes. Thanks.

And as n/(n+1) n →∞ = 1

R=1/3, Interval of convergence will be [-1/3, 1/3]
 
Are you sure it converges for x = -1/3?
 
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...
Back
Top