# Simplifying Sigma Notation

1. Apr 12, 2012

### Youngster

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

I'm actually asked to calculate the area under the curve 5x + x2 over the interval [0,1] using Riemann Sums. I found the formula for the Riemann sum over the interval, it being the following:

$\sum$$^{n}_{k=1}$ ($\frac{5k}{n}$+$\frac{k^{2}}{n^{2}}$)($\frac{1}{n}$)

However, I am asked to simplify the sigma notation to find the sum in terms of n only, which is where I'm currently stuck.

2. Relevant equations

None, I believe. Except perhaps the sum formulas for positive integers

3. The attempt at a solution

I actually just went ahead and multiplied through and separated each term like so

$\frac{5}{n^{2}}$$\sum$$^{n}_{k=1}$ k +$\frac{1}{n^{3}}$$\sum$$^{n}_{k=1}$ k$^{2}$

I, however, was left with something completely different from the expected answers given. Am I going through this correctly?

2. Apr 12, 2012

### A. Bahat

Yes, you are on the right track. Now use a closed-form expression for those two sums to get something only in terms of n; then you can take the limit as n goes to infinity.

3. Apr 12, 2012

### Youngster

Okay, I figured out what I was doing wrong after going through my work - I neglected to multiply part of the numerator of the first sum by 3n, thus giving me something different. So after multiplying through, the end result should be:

$\frac{15n^{3}+15n^{2}}{6n^{3}}$ + $\frac{2n^{3}+3n^{2}+n}{6n^{3}}$

This should simplify to:

$\frac{17n^{3}+18n^{2}+n}{6n^{3}}$

This could further be simplified by removing $\frac{17n^{3}}{6n^{3}}$ to get

$\frac{17}{6}$ + $\frac{18n+1}{6n^{2}}$, where an n is distributed out of the second term.

Then the limit should be $\frac{17}{6}$ as n approaches infinity since the second term is equal to zero. :D

4. Apr 12, 2012

### Dick

Sure, that's it.