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About

Geometric progressions model phenomena like population growth, compound interest, and radioactive decay. Engineers and financial analysts use these sequences to predict future values based on a constant multiplication factor. A small change in the common ratio results in massive differences over time. This tool computes the specific term and the cumulative sum for any defined sequence. It generates a visual plot to identify divergence or convergence immediately.

geometric sequence progression math algebra series

Formulas

The value of the n-th term is calculated using the initial term and the ratio raised to the power of n minus one.

an = a1 rn1

The sum of the first n terms depends on whether the ratio is equal to one.

{
a1(1 rn)1 r if r 1n a1 if r = 1

Reference Data

ParameterSymbolDefinitionConstraint
First Terma1Initial value of the sequencea1 0
Common RatiorFactor between consecutive termsr R
Term PositionnInteger position of the termn 1
General TermanValue at position nCalculated
Series SumSnSum of first n termsFinite if r 1

Frequently Asked Questions

The sequence will oscillate between positive and negative values. For example, if the start is 1 and the ratio is -2, the sequence is 1, -2, 4, -8. The magnitude grows but the sign flips.
This tool calculates finite sums up to n terms. An infinite series only converges if the absolute value of r is strictly less than 1.
Geometric growth is exponential. Even small ratios like 1.1 result in large values quickly. The graph uses auto-scaling to keep the curve visible within the viewport.