Geometric Progressions (CIE A Level Maths: Pure 1)

Exam Questions

3 hours30 questions
1
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4 marks

Identify which of the following are geometric sequences.
For those that are, write down the first term and the common ratio.

(i)
3 comma 8 comma 13 comma 18 comma horizontal ellipsis
(ii)
5 comma 15 comma space 45 comma space space space 135 comma horizontal ellipsis
(iii)
5 comma negative 10 comma space 20 comma negative 40 comma horizontal ellipsis
(iv)
begin inline style 1 third end style comma space begin inline style 1 over 6 end style comma space begin inline style 1 over 12 end style comma space.....

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2
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3 marks

Write down a formula for the nth term of each of the following geometric sequences

(i)
3 comma space 12 comma space 48 comma space 192 comma horizontal ellipsis
(ii)
First term: a equals 5
Common ratio: r equals negative 2
(iii)
a equals 16 comma space space r equals 1 half

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3
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3 marks

Find the 5th and 10th terms in each of the following geometric sequences

(i)
u subscript n equals 2 left parenthesis 3 right parenthesis to the power of n
(ii)
u subscript n equals 10 space 000 left parenthesis 1.02 right parenthesis to the power of n
(iii)
u subscript n equals 3 to the power of negative n end exponent

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4a
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2 marks

The first term of a geometric progression is 6.

The sum to infinity of the progression is 8.

Show that the common ratio of the progression is 0.25.

4b
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1 mark

For a geometric progression with first term 6 and common ratio 0.25, briefly explain why the sum to infinity will exist.

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5a
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3 marks

The 3rd and 6th terms of a geometric sequence are 10 and 270 respectively,
Find the first term and the common ratio.

5b
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2 marks

The 12th term of a geometric sequence is 16 times greater than the 8th term.   
Find the possible values of the common ratio.

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6a
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2 marks

Find the sum of the first 12 terms of the geometric series that has first term 5 and common ratio 3 over 2, giving your answer to the nearest whole number.

6b
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2 marks

Find the sum to infinity of the geometric series that has first term 4 and common ratio begin inline style 1 over 8 end style.

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7a
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2 marks

The first term of a geometric sequence is 2.

The 6th term of the sequence is 486.

The sum of the first  terms is 177 146.

Find the common ratio.

7b
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2 marks

Show that 3 to the power of n equals 177 space 147.

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8a
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1 mark

8b
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2 marks

Given that the sum to infinity of the progression exists, show that the sum to infinity is negative open parentheses k space plus space 1 close parentheses.

8c
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2 marks

Given that the sum to infinity is negative 1 fourth,  find the value of k.

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9a
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2 marks

The kth term of a geometric progression is given by u subscript k space equals space 5 space cross times space 2 to the power of k minus 1 end exponent.

Write down the first five terms of the progression.

9b
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2 marks

Calculate the sum of the first five terms of the progression.

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1a
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2 marks

The first three terms of a geometric sequence are given by x squared, 4 x, and x plus 14 space respectively, where x greater than 0.

Show that x cubed minus 2 x squared equals 0.

1b
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3 marks

Find the value of the 15th term of the sequence.

1c
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1 mark

State, with a reason, whether 8192 is a term in the sequence.

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2a
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2 marks

The sum of the first two terms in a geometric series is 9.31.

The sum of the first four terms in the same series is 11.02.

The common ratio of the series is r.

 Show that fraction numerator 1 minus r to the power of 4 over denominator 1 minus r squared end fraction equals 58 over 49.

2b
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2 marks

Hence find the two possible values of r.

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3
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4 marks

The first term of a geometric series is a, and its common ratio is 5.  A different geometric series has first term b and common ratio 3.  The sum of the first three terms of both series is the same. 

Find the value of  a over b, giving your answer as a fraction in simplest terms.

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4a
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5 marks

The first three terms in a geometric series are left parenthesis k minus 3 right parenthesis, k, left parenthesis 2 k plus 8 right parenthesis, where k greater than 0 is a constant.

(i)
Show that   k squared plus 2 k minus 24 equals 0.
(ii)
Hence find the value of k.
4b
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1 mark

Find the common ratio, r, of this series.

4c
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2 marks

 Find the sum of the first 12 terms in this series.

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5a
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3 marks

The first three terms of a geometric progression are  negative 1, 3 x and negative 9 x squared.  Given that the sum to infinity of the progression exists

write down an inequality that the common ratio of the progression must satisfy, and hence find the range of possible values of x

 

5b
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1 mark

find an expression for the sum to infinity of the progression in terms of x.

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6a
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2 marks

A geometric progression has first term 64, and the sum to infinity of the progression is 384.

Show that the common ratio, r, of the progression is 5 over 6   .

6b
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2 marks

Find the difference between the ninth and tenth terms of the progression, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures.

6c
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2 marks

Calculate the sum of the first eight terms of the progression, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures.

6d
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2 marks

Given that the sum of the first terms of the progression is greater than 380, show that

      open parentheses 5 over 6 close parentheses to the power of k less than 1 over 96 

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7a
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2 marks

The kth term of a geometric progression is given by u subscript k space equals space 162 space open parentheses 1 third close parentheses to the power of k.

Calculate, giving your answers as exact values

The sum of the first nine terms of the progression.

7b
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3 marks

The sum to infinity of the progression starting from the tenth term.

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1
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5 marks

The first three terms of a geometric sequence are given by x plus 12, 3 x, and x squared respectively, where x is a non-zero real number.

Find the value of the 102nd term in the sequence.

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2
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4 marks

The sum of the first three terms in a geometric series is 8.75.

The sum of the first six terms in the same series is 13.23.

Find the common ratio, r, of the series.

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3
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4 marks

A geometric series has first term a and common ratio square root of 5.

Show that the sum of the first ten terms of the series is equal to k a left parenthesis square root of 5 plus 1 right parenthesis, where k is a positive integer to be determined.

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4a
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5 marks

The first three terms in a geometric series are left parenthesis 2 k plus 3 right parenthesiskleft parenthesis k minus 2 right parenthesis , where k less than 0 is a constant.

Find the value of k.

4b
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3 marks

Find the sum of the first 12 terms in this series.

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5a
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6 marks

The second and fifth terms of a geometric series are 13.44 and 5.67 respectively.  The series has first term a and common ratio r.

By first determining the values of a and r, calculate the sum to infinity of the series.

5b
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2 marks

Calculate the difference between the sum to infinity of the series and the sum of the first 20 terms of the series. Give your answer accurate to 2 decimal places.

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6a
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3 marks

A geometric progression has first term 9, and the sum of the first three terms of the series is 19.  The common ratio of the series is r.

Show that 9 r squared plus 9 r minus 10 equals 0.

6b
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2 marks

Find the two possible values of r.

6c
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3 marks

Given that the sum to infinity of the progression exists, find the sum to infinity of the progression.

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7a
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3 marks

The kth term of a geometric progression is given by u subscript k space equals space 2401 space open parentheses 2 over 7 close parentheses to the power of k.

Calculate, giving your answers as exact values

The sum to infinity of the progression starting with the seventh term.

7b
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2 marks

The sum to infinity of the progression whose kth term is given by v subscript k space equals space u subscript k plus 4 end subscript, where u subscript k is defined as above.

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1
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5 marks

The first three terms of a geometric sequence are given by  x plus 11 , 5 x, and 3 x squared respectively, where x is a non-zero real number.

Find the value of the sixth term in the sequence, giving your answer as a fraction.

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2
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5 marks

The sum of the first four terms in a geometric series is 27.2, and the sum of the first eight terms in the same series is 164.9.

Given that the first term of the series is positive, find the common ratio, r, of the series.

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3
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4 marks

A geometric series has first term a, and its terms are connected by the relationship u subscript n plus 4 end subscript equals 9 u subscript n for all n greater or equal than 1.

Given that all the terms of the series are positive, show that the sum of the first twelve terms of the series may be written in the form

            S subscript 12 equals k a left parenthesis square root of n plus 1 right parenthesis

where k and n are positive integers and square root of n is a surd.

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4a
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4 marks

The first three terms in a geometric progression  are left parenthesis 2 k plus 6 right parenthesis , k, left parenthesis k minus 4 right parenthesis, where k is a constant.

Find the possible values of k.

4b
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4 marks

Given that the sum to infinity of the progression exists, find the sum to infinity of the series progression.

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5a
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5 marks

The second and third terms of a  geometric progression are left parenthesis x minus 1 right parenthesis and left parenthesis x squared minus 1 right parenthesis, where x is a real number not equal to 1 or -1.

Given that the sum to infinity of the progression exists,

Find the range of possible values of x.

5b
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4 marks

Given that the sum to infinity of the series is -6,

find the two possible values of  x.

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6a
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4 marks

The geometric progression S is defined by  S equals u subscript 1 plus u subscript 2 plus u subscript 3 plus horizontal ellipsis plus u subscript n plus horizontal ellipsis, where u subscript ndenotes the n t h term of the progression. The sum to infinity of the progression exists and  is denoted by S subscript infinity.  The first term of the progression is a, and the common ratio is r.

A different progression  T equals u subscript 1 superscript 2 plus u subscript 2 superscript 2 plus u subscript 3 superscript 2 plus horizontal ellipsis plus u subscript n superscript 2 plus horizontal ellipsis is formed by squaring all the terms of the progression S above.

Show that T equals u subscript 1 superscript 2 plus u subscript 2 superscript 2 plus u subscript 3 superscript 2 plus horizontal ellipsis plus u subscript n superscript 2 plus horizontal ellipsis is also a  geometric progression, and that its sum to infinity also exists.

6b
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3 marks

The sum to infinity of the progression T  is T subscript infinity.

Express the ratio T subscript infinity over S subscript infinity spacein terms of a and r, simplifying your answer as far as possible.

6c
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6 marks

Show that if T subscript infinity equals S subscript infinity, then u subscript k superscript 2 equals u subscript 2 k minus 1 end subscript plus u subscript 2 k end subscript for all k greater or equal than 1.  Comment on what this shows about the relationship between the terms of the two progressions.

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7
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5 marks

The kth term of a geometric progression is given by u subscript k equals open parentheses negative 2 close parentheses to the power of k minus 1 end exponent.

Calculate the sum of the eleventh through twenty-third terms of the sequence whose kth term is given by v subscript k space equals space u subscript k space plus space square root of 13 comma end root where u subscript k is defined as above.  You should give your answer as an exact value.

 

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