Chapter 12: Problem 17
Find a series expansion for the expression. $$\frac{x}{x+x^{2}} \quad \text { for }|x|<1$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The series expansion for the given expression \(\frac{x}{x+x^2}\) for |x|<1 is \(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} (-x)^n\).
Step by step solution
01
Rewrite the expression into a more convenient form
First, we need to rewrite the given expression in the form of a geometric series. We will factor the denominator:
\[
\frac{x}{x+x^2} = \frac{x}{x(1+x)}
\]
Now we can rewrite the expression as:
\[
\frac{1}{1+x}
\]
02
Identify the geometric series
Next, we can recognize that the expression \(\frac{1}{1+x}\) is a geometric series with the common ratio r = -x. The general formula for a geometric series is:
\[
\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} ar^n
\]
where a is the first term and r is the common ratio.
In our case, the first term (a) is 1 and the common ratio (r) is -x. So our geometric series can be written as:
\[
\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} 1(-x)^n
\]
03
Rewrite the series expansion for the given domain
Now we can rewrite our series expansion as follows, for |x|<1:
\[
\frac{1}{1+x} = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} (-x)^n
\]
This is the series expansion of the given expression \(\frac{x}{x+x^2}\) for |x|<1.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Geometric Series
A geometric series is a sequence of terms where each term is derived from the previous one by multiplying with a constant called the common ratio. For example:
- If you have a series with starting term 2 and you multiply each subsequent term by -1/2, the series becomes 2, -1, 0.5, -0.25, and so on.
- The general form of a geometric series is written as \( a + ar + ar^2 + ar^3 + ... \).
Common Ratio
The common ratio in a geometric series is the factor by which we multiply each term to get to the next term. It's denoted by \( r \). For the series \( a, ar, ar^2, ... \), the common ratio is \( r \).
- In the example from the solution, our expression \( \frac{1}{1+x} \) has a common ratio of -x.
- This means each term in the series is generated by multiplying the previous term by \(-x\).
Infinite Series
An infinite series, like its name suggests, is a series that continues indefinitely. It's the sum of an infinite number of terms. When dealing with an infinite series:
- We often investigate whether the series converges to a particular value as more terms are added.
- The notable aspect is that even though there are infinitely many terms, their sum can sometimes be finite.
Radius of Convergence
The radius of convergence is a crucial concept when examining infinite series, especially when it comes to power series. It tells us within which values of \( x \) the series converges:
- For a power series like \( \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} c_nx^n \), there's a radius \( R \).
- The series will only converge if \(|x|