SHES 2303 MATHEMATICS IN BIOLOGY

TUTORIAL 9

1. Show that the sequence{21/n } converges to 1.

2. Does the sequence with nth term
 n
n+1
an = ,
n−1

converge?

3. Prove the following limits.

a) limn→∞ log n/n = 0

b) limn→∞ n1/n = 1
c) limn→∞ x1/n = 1 ; x > 0
d) limn→∞ xn /n! = 0 ; x is any real number.

4. Prove that  x n
lim 1 + = ex .
n→∞ n
This is an important result that relates power series to the exponential function for large
n.

5. Find the sum of the series

1 1 1 1
+ + + ··· + + ··· .
2·3 3·4 4·5 (n + 1)(n + 2)

6. Find the sum ∞

X 2n+1
.
n=0
5n
7. Prove that the series ∞
X nn
,
n=1
n!
diverges.

8. Use the integral test to prove that the series

∞
X
e−2n ,
n=1

converges. Then, find the sum of this series.

1
9. Find the Maclaurin series of log(1 − x), using the fact that
n
1 X
= xn ,
1 − x n=0

where |x| < 1. Evaluate log(0.5) using the first two and then first four terms of this
series. Compare them with the answer obtained from a calculator.

10. Find the Maclaurin series of tan−1 x using the geometric series as in Question 9.
Subsequently, show that
π 1 1 1
= 1 − + − + ··· .
4 3 5 7
This is one of the earliest known way of finding π using a nongeometric approach. It is
not used now because of its slow convergence.

11. Using the Maclaurin series of ex as a building block, find the Maclaurin series for
cosh x.

12. Prove that

ex
≥ (1 + x)2 ,
1−x
where |x| < 1.