For a G.P. with first term a and common ratio r, the sum of the first n terms is Sn=1−ra(1−rn). If ∣r∣<1, rn→0 as n→∞, so Sn approaches a fixed finite value 1−ra, called the sum to infinity, S∞=1−ra. If ∣r∣≥1, rn never settles down as n grows, so the infinite sum has no finite value and does not exist. This single condition, ∣r∣<1, is therefore the deciding test before attempting to sum an infinite G.P. -- testing it first avoids applying the formula to a series that does not actually converge. The visual proof of 1+21+41+81+⋯=2, fitting ever-smaller rectangles into a 2×1 rectangle so they exactly fill it, is a concrete way to see why a geometrically shrinking series can add up to a finite total.