Proving First Order Recursive Formula (1 Viewer)

SB257426

Very Important User
Joined
Jul 12, 2022
Messages
308
Location
Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
I have come across some questions that are asking me to prove the general formula for a certain sequence. I do now know how to tackle these questions. Can someone please tell me how to do them?

Here is a problem from the question set that appeared:

A sequence is given by the first order recursive formula:
Screen Shot 2023-03-14 at 10.08.45 pm.jpg
Prove the general formula for the sequence is:
Screen Shot 2023-03-14 at 10.09.38 pm.jpg

Any help will be appreciated,
Cheers
 

ExtremelyBoredUser

Bored Uni Student
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
2,479
Location
m
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
I have come across some questions that are asking me to prove the general formula for a certain sequence. I do now know how to tackle these questions. Can someone please tell me how to do them?

Here is a problem from the question set that appeared:

A sequence is given by the first order recursive formula:
View attachment 37977
Prove the general formula for the sequence is:
View attachment 37978

Any help will be appreciated,
Cheers
You can do induction but why don't you write out a_1, a_2, a_3 and see if there's a pattern you can exploit. Only saying because it seems to extremely fit the geometric series formula.
 

synthesisFR

afterhscivemostlybeentrollingdonttakeitsrsly
Joined
Oct 28, 2022
Messages
3,312
Location
Getting deported
Gender
Female
HSC
2028
You can do induction but why don't you write out a_1, a_2, a_3 and see if there's a pattern you can exploit. Only saying because it seems to extremely fit the geometric series formula.
doesn't first order recursive in the syllabus fall under proof by induction tho so u would have to prove it by induction?
 

ExtremelyBoredUser

Bored Uni Student
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
2,479
Location
m
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
doesn't first order recursive in the syllabus fall under proof by induction tho so u would have to prove it by induction?
Unless it explicitly states "Prove ... using principle of mathematical induction" then I'd consider it fair game. Proof questions just require you to use some method of proof to demonstrate the theorem, by that logic some questions you can't use certain techniques because they're not in the topic
 

Drongoski

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
4,255
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
As suggested by synthesisFR by Induction:



So, if the formula holds for n = k, it holds also for n = k + 1
Therefore by the Principle of Mathematical Induction, the formula holds for all positive integers 'n'.


So, it's quite straightforward. Maybe you just didn't know how to proceed with this unfamiliar type of questions.
 
Last edited:

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top