The Maclaurin Series of an inverse polynomial function

kudoushinichi88
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Let

f(x)=\frac{1}{x^2+x+1}

Let f(x)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}c_nx^n be the Maclaurin series representation for f(x). Find the value of c_{36}-c_{37}+c_{38}.

After working out the fraction, I arrived at the following,

f(x)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}x^{3n}-\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}x^{3n+1}

But I dun get how to compare this to the the form given in the question to get the answer...
 
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hi kudoushinichi88! :wink:
kudoushinichi88 said:
After working out the fraction

you mean (1-x)/(1 - x3)? :smile:
I arrived at the following,

f(x)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}x^{3n}-\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}x^{3n+1}

But I dun get how to compare this to the the form given in the question to get the answer...

but isn't that just c3n = 1, c3n+1 = -1, c3n+2 = 0 ? :confused:
 
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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