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The geometric series is an infinite series derived from a special type of sequence called a geometric progression.This means that it is the sum of infinitely many terms of geometric progression: starting from the initial term , and the next one being the initial term multiplied by a constant number known as the common ratio .
An infinite series of any rational function of can be reduced to a finite series of polygamma functions, by use of partial fraction decomposition, [8] as explained here. This fact can also be applied to finite series of rational functions, allowing the result to be computed in constant time even when the series contains a large number of terms.
For example, the sequence 2, 6, 18, 54, ... is a geometric progression with a common ratio of 3. Similarly 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25, ... is a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 1/2. Examples of a geometric sequence are powers r k of a fixed non-zero number r, such as 2 k and 3 k. The general form of a geometric sequence is
The infinite sequence of additions expressed by a series cannot be explicitly performed in sequence in a finite amount of time. However, if the terms and their finite sums belong to a set that has limits , it may be possible to assign a value to a series, called the sum of the series .
is an arithmetico-geometric sequence. The arithmetic component appears in the numerator (in blue), and the geometric one in the denominator (in green). The series summation of the infinite elements of this sequence has been called Gabriel's staircase and it has a value of 2. [2] [3] In general,
A finite geometry is any geometric system that has only a finite number of points. The familiar Euclidean geometry is not finite, because a Euclidean line contains infinitely many points. A geometry based on the graphics displayed on a computer screen, where the pixels are considered to be the points, would be a finite geometry.
A convergent series that is not absolutely convergent is called conditionally convergent. Absolute convergence is important for the study of infinite series, because its definition guarantees that a series will have some "nice" behaviors of finite sums that not all convergent series possess.
Infinite sets are so common, that when one considers finite sets, this is generally explicitly stated; for example finite geometry, finite field, etc. Fermat's Last Theorem is a theorem that was stated in terms of elementary arithmetic , which has been proved only more than 350 years later.