Mathematics · Class 11 Science
Ch 11Sequences and Series — Class 11 Mathematics, concept-first.
A sequence is a set of numbers where the numbers are arranged in a definite order, like the natural numbers, the even integers between 10 and 100, or the squares of integers. In general, a sequence is written as where is the first term, is the fourth term, and so on up to , the th term.
Key concepts
Hover a concept to preview it and jump to its most relevant Q&A.
Geometric Progression
Imagine you're folding a piece of paper in half. Start with thickness 1 unit. After one fold, thickness becomes 2. After two folds, thickness becomes 4. After three folds, thickness becomes 8.
Most relevant Q&A
- Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $2, 6, 18, 54, \ldots$Free
- Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $1, -5, 25, -125, \ldots$Free
- Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $\sqrt5, \dfrac{1}{\sqrt5}, \dfrac{1}{5\sqrt5}, \dfrac{1}{25\sqrt5}, \ldo…Free
- Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $3, 4, 5, 6, \ldots$Preview
- Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $7, 14, 21, 28, \ldots$Preview
In previous exams
How often this chapter’s concepts have been examined — real appearance data, never estimated.
Chapter contents
The NCERT structure, section by section. Open a section to see its questions, then read the concept-first solution.
Sequence
A sequence is a set of numbers where the numbers are arranged in a definite order, like the natural numbers, the even integers between 10 and 100, or the squares of integers.
+−EXERCISE 2.122 questions
- Q1Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $2, 6, 18, 54, \ldots$Free
- Q2Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $1, -5, 25, -125, \ldots$Free
- Q3Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $\sqrt5, \dfrac{1}{\sqrt5}, \dfrac{1}{5\sqrt5}, \dfrac{1}{25\sqrt5}, \ldo…Free
- Q4Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $3, 4, 5, 6, \ldots$Preview
- Q5Check whether the following sequence is a G.P. If so, write $t_n$: $7, 14, 21, 28, \ldots$Preview
- Q6For the G.P., if $r=\dfrac13$, $a=9$, find $t_7$.Preview
- Q7For the G.P., if $a=\dfrac{7}{243}$, $r=3$, find $t_6$.Preview
- Q8For the G.P., if $r=-3$ and $t_6=1701$, find $a$.Preview
- Q9For the G.P., if $a=\dfrac23$, $t_6=162$, find $r$.Preview
- Q10Which term of the G.P. $5, 25, 125, 625, \ldots$ is $5^{10}$?Preview
- Q11For what values of $x$, the terms $\dfrac43, x, \dfrac{4}{27}$ are in G.P.?Preview
- Q12If for a sequence, $t_n=\dfrac{5^{n-3}}{2^{n-3}}$, show that the sequence is a G.P. Find its first term and the common ratio.Preview
- Q13Find three numbers in G.P. such that their sum is 21 and sum of their squares is 189.Preview
- Q14Find four numbers in G.P. such that sum of the middle two numbers is $\dfrac{10}{3}$ and their product is 1.Preview
- Q15Find five numbers in G.P. such that their product is 1024 and fifth term is square of the third term.Preview
- Q16The fifth term of a G.P. is $x$, eighth term of a G.P. is $y$ and eleventh term of a G.P. is $z$. Verify whether $y^2=xz$.Preview
- Q17If $p, q, r, s$ are in G.P. show that $p+q, q+r, r+s$ are also in G.P.Preview
- Q18The number of bacteria in a culture doubles every hour. If there were 50 bacteria originally in the culture, how many bacteria will be there…Preview
- Q19A ball is dropped from a height of 80 ft. The ball is such that it rebounds $\dfrac34$th of the height it has fallen. How high does the ball…Preview
- Q20The numbers $3, x$ and $x+6$ are in G.P. Find (i) $x$, (ii) 20th term, (iii) $n$th term.Preview
- Q21Mosquitoes are growing at a rate of 10% a year. If there were 200 mosquitoes in the beginning, write down the number of mosquitoes after (i)…Preview
- Q22The numbers $x-6, 2x$ and $x^2$ are in G.P. Find (i) $x$ (ii) 1st term (iii) $n$th term.Preview
Arithmetic Progression (A.P.)
In a sequence, if the difference between any term and its preceding term () is constant, the sequence is called an Arithmetic Progression (A.P.).
+−EXERCISE 2.223 questions
- Q23For the following G.P., find $S_n$: $3, 6, 12, 24, \ldots$Free
- Q24For the following G.P., find $S_n$: $p, q, \dfrac{q^2}{p}, \dfrac{q^3}{p^2}, \ldots$Free
- Q25For the following G.P., find $S_n$: $0.7, 0.07, 0.007, \ldots$Free
- Q26For the following G.P., find $S_n$: $\sqrt5, -5, 5\sqrt5, -25, \ldots$Preview
- Q27For a G.P., $a=2$, $r=-\dfrac23$, find $S_6$.Preview
- Q28For a G.P., if $S_5=1023$, $r=4$, find $a$.Preview
- Q29For a G.P., if $a=2$, $r=3$, $S_n=242$, find $n$.Preview
- Q30For a G.P., sum of first 3 terms is 125 and sum of next 3 terms is 27, find the value of $r$.Preview
- Q31For a G.P., if $t_3=20$, $t_6=160$, find $S_7$.Preview
- Q32For a G.P., if $t_4=16$, $t_9=512$, find $S_{10}$.Preview
- Q33Find the sum to $n$ terms: $3+33+333+3333+\ldots$Preview
- Q34Find the sum to $n$ terms: $8+88+888+8888+\ldots$Preview
- Q35Find the sum to $n$ terms: $0.4+0.44+0.444+\ldots$Preview
- Q36Find the sum to $n$ terms: $0.7+0.77+0.777+\ldots$Preview
- Q37Find the sum to $n$ terms of the sequence $0.5, 0.05, 0.005, \ldots$Preview
- Q38Find the sum to $n$ terms of the sequence $0.2, 0.02, 0.002, \ldots$Preview
- Q39For a sequence, if $S_n=2(3^n-1)$, find the $n$th term, hence show that the sequence is a G.P.Preview
- Q40If $S, P, R$ are the sum, product and sum of the reciprocals of $n$ terms of a G.P. respectively, then verify that $\left(\dfrac{S}{R}\right…Preview
- Q41If $S_n, S_{2n}, S_{3n}$ are the sum of $n, 2n, 3n$ terms of a G.P. respectively, then verify that $S_n(S_{3n}-S_{2n})=(S_{2n}-S_n)^2$.Preview
- Q42Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{10}(3^r-2^r)$.Preview
- Q43Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{10}(5^r-3^r)$.Preview
- Q44The value of a house appreciates 5% per year. How much is the house worth after 6 years if its current worth is Rs. 15 Lac. [Given: $(1.05)^…Preview
- Q45If one invests Rs. 10,000 in a bank at a rate of interest 8% per annum, how long does it take to double the money by compound interest? [$(1…Preview
Geometric Progression
A sequence is a Geometric Progression (G.P.) if the ratio of any term to the one before it, , is constant for all ; is called the common ratio. A G.P.
+−EXERCISE 2.318 questions
- Q46Determine whether the sum to infinity of the following G.P. exists; if it exists find it: $\dfrac12, \dfrac14, \dfrac18, \dfrac1{16}, \ldots…Free
- Q47Determine whether the sum to infinity of the following G.P. exists; if it exists find it: $2, \dfrac43, \dfrac89, \dfrac{16}{27}, \ldots$Free
- Q48Determine whether the sum to infinity of the following G.P. exists; if it exists find it: $-3, 1, -\dfrac13, \dfrac19, \ldots$Free
- Q49Determine whether the sum to infinity of the following G.P. exists; if it exists find it: $\dfrac15, -\dfrac25, \dfrac45, -\dfrac85, \dfrac{…Preview
- Q50Determine whether the sum to infinity of the following G.P. exists; if it exists find it: $9, 8.1, 7.29, \ldots$Preview
- Q51Express the following recurring decimal as a rational number: $0.\overline{7}$Preview
- Q52Express the following recurring decimal as a rational number: $2.\overline{4}$Preview
- Q53Express the following recurring decimal as a rational number: $2.\overline{35}$Preview
- Q54Express the following recurring decimal as a rational number: $51.0\overline{2}$Preview
- Q55If the common ratio of a G.P. is $\dfrac23$ and sum to infinity is 12, find the first term.Preview
- Q56If the first term of the G.P. is 6 and its sum to infinity is $\dfrac{96}{17}$, find the common ratio.Preview
- Q57The sum of an infinite G.P. is 5 and the sum of the squares of these terms is 15. Find the G.P.Preview
- Q58Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{\infty}4(0.5)^r$.Preview
- Q59Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{\infty}\left(-\dfrac13\right)^{r-1}$.Preview
- Q60Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=0}^{\infty}8\left(-\dfrac12\right)^r$.Preview
- Q61Find $\displaystyle\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}(0.4)^n$.Preview
- Q62The mid points of the sides of a square of side 1 are joined to form a new square. This procedure is repeated indefinitely. Find the sum of…Preview
- Q63A ball is dropped from a height of 10m. It bounces to a height of 6m, then 3.6m and so on. Find the total distance travelled by the ball.Preview
The General term or the nth term of a G.P.
For a G.P. , , , , if is the first term and the common ratio, the th term is (this follows because reaching the th term from the first requires multiplying by exactly times).
Sum of the first n terms of a G.P. (Sn)
Consider the G.P. ; the sum of its first terms is written . Here is the notation for summation and is the running (dummy) variable.
Sum of infinite terms of a G.P.
Consider a G.P. of positive terms. The sum of the first terms is , . If , grows without bound as , so the infinite sum cannot be found (does not exist).
+−EXERCISE 2.413 questions
- Q64Verify whether the following sequence is a H.P.: $\dfrac13, \dfrac15, \dfrac17, \dfrac19, \ldots$Free
- Q65Verify whether the following sequence is a H.P.: $\dfrac13, \dfrac16, \dfrac1{12}, \dfrac1{24}, \ldots$Free
- Q66Verify whether the following sequence is a H.P.: $5, \dfrac{10}{17}, \dfrac{10}{32}, \dfrac{10}{47}, \ldots$Free
- Q67Find the $n$th term and hence find the 8th term of the H.P.: $\dfrac12, \dfrac15, \dfrac18, \dfrac1{11}, \ldots$Preview
- Q68Find the $n$th term and hence find the 8th term of the H.P.: $\dfrac14, \dfrac16, \dfrac18, \dfrac1{10}, \ldots$Preview
- Q69Find the $n$th term and hence find the 8th term of the H.P.: $\dfrac15, \dfrac1{10}, \dfrac1{15}, \dfrac1{20}, \ldots$Preview
- Q70Find A.M. of two positive numbers whose G.M. and H.M. are 4 and $\dfrac{16}{5}$ respectively.Preview
- Q71Find H.M. of two positive numbers whose A.M. and G.M. are $\dfrac{15}{2}$ and 6.Preview
- Q72Find G.M. of two positive numbers whose A.M. and H.M. are 75 and 48.Preview
- Q73Insert two numbers between $\dfrac14$ and $\dfrac13$ so that the resulting sequence is a H.P.Preview
- Q74Insert two numbers between 1 and $-27$ so that the resulting sequence is a G.P.Preview
- Q75If the A.M. of two numbers exceeds their G.M. by 2 and their H.M. by $\dfrac{18}{5}$, find the numbers.Preview
- Q76Find two numbers whose A.M. exceeds their G.M. by $\dfrac12$ and their H.M. by $\dfrac{25}{26}$.Preview
Expressing recurring decimals as rational numbers
A recurring decimal fraction can always be written as a rational number, e.g. ; this can also be verified using the infinite G.P. sum formula.
Harmonic Progression (H.P.)
A sequence (with for all ) is called a Harmonic Progression (H.P.) if the reciprocals are in A.P. E.g. (i) are in H.P. because (their reciprocals) are in A.P. (ii) is H.P. because are in A.P.
+−EXERCISE 2.57 questions
- Q77Find $S_n$ of the following arithmetico-geometric sequence: $2, 4x, 6x^2, 8x^3, 10x^4, \ldots$Free
- Q78Find $S_n$ of the following arithmetico-geometric sequence: $1, 4x, 7x^2, 10x^3, 13x^4, \ldots$Free
- Q79Find $S_n$ of the following arithmetico-geometric sequence: $1, 2\times3, 3\times9, 4\times27, 5\times81, \ldots$Free
- Q80Find $S_n$ of the following arithmetico-geometric sequence: $3, 12, 36, 96, 240, \ldots$Preview
- Q81Find the sum to infinity of the following arithmetico-geometric sequence: $1, \dfrac24, \dfrac3{16}, \dfrac4{64}, \ldots$Preview
- Q82Find the sum to infinity of the following arithmetico-geometric sequence: $3, \dfrac65, \dfrac9{25}, \dfrac{12}{125}, \dfrac{15}{625}, \ldot…Preview
- Q83Find the sum to infinity of the following arithmetico-geometric sequence: $1, -\dfrac43, \dfrac79, -\dfrac{10}{27}, \ldots$Preview
Types of Means
For two numbers and , three kinds of "mean" (middle value) are defined depending on which progression the triple should form: the Arithmetic Mean makes an A.P.; the Geometric Mean makes a G.P.; and th…
+−EXERCISE 2.610 questions
- Q84Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}(r+1)(2r-1)$.Free
- Q85Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}(3r^2-2r+1)$.Free
- Q86Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}\dfrac{1+2+3+\cdots+r}{r}$.Free
- Q87Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}\dfrac{r^2}{1^3+2^3+3^3+\cdots+r^3}$ (source scan of this fraction is corrupted/ambiguous; structure recons…Preview
- Q88Find the sum $5\times7+9\times11+13\times15+\cdots$ upto $n$ terms.Preview
- Q89Find the sum $2^2+4^2+6^2+8^2+\cdots$ upto $n$ terms.Preview
- Q90Find $(70^2-69^2)+(68^2-67^2)+(66^2-65^2)+\cdots+(2^2-1^2)$.Preview
- Q91Find the sum $1\times3\times5+3\times5\times7+5\times7\times9+\cdots+(2n-1)(2n+1)(2n+3)$.Preview
- Q92If $\dfrac{1\times2+2\times3+3\times4+4\times5+\cdots \text{ upto } n \text{ terms}}{1+2+3+4+\cdots \text{ upto } n \text{ terms}}=\dfrac{10…Preview
- Q93If $S_1, S_2$ and $S_3$ are the sums of first $n$ natural numbers, their squares and their cubes respectively, then show that $9S_2^2=S_3(1+…Preview
Arithmetic mean (A.M.)
If and are two numbers, their Arithmetic Mean is . This is precisely the value that makes an A.P., since .
Geometric mean (G.M.)
If and are two numbers of the same sign (both positive or both negative), their Geometric Mean is . This is the value that makes a G.P., since .
Harmonic mean (H.M.)
If and are two numbers, their Harmonic Mean is . This is the value that makes an H.P., since must be in A.P.: .
Arithmetico-Geometric Progression (A.G.P.)
A sequence in which each term is the product of the corresponding terms of an A.P. and a G.P. is called an Arithmetico-Geometric Progression (A.G.P.). E.g. consider the A.P.
Sum of n terms of A.G.P.
Let . Multiplying by : . Subtracting, the differences between successive bracketed terms all become , leaving a genuine G.P. of terms in , plus the leftover boundary terms: .
Properties of Summation and Standard Results
Properties of Summation: (i) for a nonzero constant ; (ii) ; (iii) ; (iv) for a nonzero constant (a restatement of (i) and (iii) together).
Power Series
Some functions can be expressed as infinite sums of powers of ; these are called power series. Examples: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) if then .
More questions
43 Q+−Show 10 questionsHide questions10 questions
- Q94Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. The common ratio for the G.P. $0.12, 0.24, 0.48, \ldots$ is: A) 0.12 B) 0.2 C) 0.02 D…Free
- Q95Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. The tenth term of the geometric sequence $\dfrac14, -\dfrac12, 1, -2, \ldots$ is: A)…Free
- Q96Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. If for a G.P. $\dfrac{t_6}{t_3}=\dfrac{1458}{54}$ then $r=$? A) 3 B) 2 C) 1 D) $-1$Free
- Q97Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. Which term of the geometric progression $1, 2, 4, 8, \ldots$ is 2048? A) 10th B) 11th…Preview
- Q98Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. If common ratio of the G.P. is 5, 5th term is 1875, the first term is: A) 3 B) 5 C) 1…Preview
- Q99Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. The sum of 3 terms of a G.P. is $\dfrac{21}{4}$ and their product is 1, then the comm…Preview
- Q100Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. Sum to infinity of a G.P. $5, -\dfrac52, \dfrac54, -\dfrac58, \dfrac5{16}, \ldots$ is…Preview
- Q101Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. The tenth term of H.P. $\dfrac29, \dfrac17, \dfrac2{19}, \dfrac1{12}, \ldots$ is: A)…Preview
- Q102Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. Which of the following is not true, where $A, G, H$ are the AM, GM, HM of $a$ and $b$…Preview
- Q103Select the correct answer from the given alternatives. The G.M. of two numbers exceeds their H.M. by $\dfrac65$, the A.M. exceeds the G.M. b…Preview
+−Show 33 questionsHide questions33 questions
- Q104In a G.P., the fourth term is 48 and the eighth term is 768. Find the tenth term.Free
- Q105Find the sum of the first 5 terms of the G.P. whose first term is 1 and common ratio is $\dfrac23$.Free
- Q106For a G.P., $a=\dfrac43$ and $t_7=\dfrac{243}{1024}$, find the value of $r$.Free
- Q107For a sequence, if $t_n=\dfrac{5^{n-2}}{7^{n-3}}$, verify whether the sequence is a G.P. If it is a G.P., find its first term and the common…Preview
- Q108Find three numbers in G.P. such that their sum is 35 and their product is 1000.Preview
- Q109Find five numbers in G.P. such that their product is 243 and sum of second and fourth number is 10.Preview
- Q110For a sequence $S_n=4(7^n-1)$ verify that the sequence is a G.P.Preview
- Q111Find $2+22+222+2222+\cdots$ upto $n$ terms.Preview
- Q112Find the $n$th term of the sequence $0.6, 0.66, 0.666, 0.6666, \ldots$Preview
- Q113Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}(5r^2+4r-3)$.Preview
- Q114Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}r(r-3)(r-2)$.Preview
- Q115Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}\dfrac{1+2+3+\cdots+r}{r^2}$ (source scan of this fraction chain is corrupted/ambiguous; structure reconstr…Preview
- Q116Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}\dfrac{1^3+2^3+3^3+\cdots+r^3}{r}$ (source scan of this fraction chain is corrupted/ambiguous; structure re…Preview
- Q117Find $2\times6+4\times9+6\times12+\cdots$ upto $n$ terms.Preview
- Q118Find $2\times5\times8+4\times7\times10+6\times9\times12+\cdots$ upto $n$ terms.Preview
- Q119Find $\dfrac1{1^2}+\dfrac{1+2}{2^2}+\dfrac{1+2+3}{3^2}+\cdots$ upto $n$ terms (source scan of this fraction chain is corrupted/ambiguous; st…Preview
- Q120Find $12^2+13^2+14^2+15^2+\cdots+20^2$.Preview
- Q121If $\dfrac{1+2+3+4+5+\cdots \text{ upto } n \text{ terms}}{1\times2+2\times3+3\times4+4\times5+\cdots \text{ upto } n \text{ terms}}=\dfrac{…Preview
- Q122Find $(50^2-49^2)+(48^2-47^2)+(46^2-45^2)+\cdots+(2^2-1^2)$.Preview
- Q123If $\dfrac{1\times3+2\times5+3\times7+\cdots \text{ upto } n \text{ terms}}{1^2+2^2+3^2+\cdots \text{ upto } n \text{ terms}}=\dfrac59$, fin…Preview
- Q124For a G.P. if $t_2=7$, $t_4=1575$, find $a$.Preview
- Q125If for a G.P. $t_3=\dfrac13$, $t_6=\dfrac1{81}$, find $r$.Preview
- Q126Find $\displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^{n}\dfrac{2}{3^r}$.Preview
- Q127Find $k$ so that $k-1, k, k+2$ are consecutive terms of a G.P.Preview
- Q128If for a G.P. first term is $(27)^2$ and seventh term is $(8)^2$, find $S_8$.Preview
- Q129If $p$th, $q$th and $r$th terms of a G.P. are $x, y, z$ respectively, find the value of $x^{q-r}\cdot y^{r-p}\cdot z^{p-q}$.Preview
- Q130Which 2 terms are inserted between 5 and 40 so that the resulting sequence is G.P.?Preview
- Q131If $p, q, r$ are in G.P. and $p^{1/x}=q^{1/y}=r^{1/z}$, verify whether $x, y, z$ are in A.P. or G.P. or neither.Preview
- Q132If $a, b, c$ are in G.P. and $ax^2+2bx+c=0$ and $px^2+2qx+r=0$ have a common root, then verify that $pb^2-2qba+ra^2=0$.Preview
- Q133If $p, q, r, s$ are in G.P., show that $(p^2+q^2+r^2)(q^2+r^2+s^2)=(pq+qr+rs)^2$.Preview
- Q134If $p, q, r, s$ are in G.P., show that $(p^n+q^n), (q^n+r^n), (r^n+s^n)$ are also in G.P.Preview
- Q135Find the coefficient of $x^6$ in the expansion of $e^{2x}$ using series expansion.Preview
- Q136Find the sum of infinite terms of $1+\dfrac45+\dfrac7{25}+\dfrac{10}{125}+\dfrac{13}{625}+\cdots$Preview