1. Geometric sequences

2. Geometric sequences What do these sequences have in common?
8, 16, 32, 64, 128 …
1, 3, 9, 27, 81…
20, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25…
multiply by 2
multiply by 3
multiply by ½
–4, –20, –100, –500, –2500…
1, –2, 4, –8, 16…
multiply by 5
multiply by –2
All of these sequences are made by multiplying each term by the same number to get the next term. They are geometric sequences.
Teacher notes
Ask students if they can write the recursive definitions for the sequences shown on this slide. This will help them see where the general form of the recursive definition for a geometric sequence comes from.
These are:
8, 16, 32, 64, 128… a1 = 8, an+1 = 2an
1, 3, 9, 27, 81… a1 = 1, an+1 = 3an
20, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25… a1 = 20, an+1 = ½ an
4, 40, 400, 4000, 40000… a1 = 4, an+1 = 10an
1, –2, 4, –8, 16… a1 = 1, an+1 = –2an
Mathematical practices
7) Look for and make use of structure.
Students should be able to see that the five sequences on the slide have a similar form, perceiving both the pattern within the sequence (for example, that 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 increases by multiplying the previous term by 2) and the larger pattern (that all sequences increase by multiplying by a standard value).
8) Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Students may notice that since each sequence has a similar structure, they should be able to construct a general definition for geometric sequences.
The number that each term is multiplied by to get the next term is called the common ratio, r, of the sequence.

3. Sequences that decrease by dividing
Can you figure out the next three terms in this sequence? 1 4 , , 1 16
1024, 256, 64, 16, , 1, ÷4
How did you figure these out?
This sequence starts with 1024 and decreases by dividing by 4 each time.
Teacher notes
Each term in this sequence is one quarter of the term before. Explain that multiplying by ¼ is equivalent to dividing by 4. Emphasize to students that a sequence that decreases by dividing is still a geometric sequence.
Mathematical Practices
7) Look for and make use of structure.
Students should be able to spot the pattern between terms in the sequence, figure out the common ratio and use this to find the next terms in the sequence.
Dividing by 4 is equivalent to multiplying each term by ¼ to give the next term.

4. Recursive definition
Each term in a sequence is identified by its position in the sequence.
The first term is a1, because it is in position 1.
The term in position n, where n is a natural number, is called an.
A geometric sequence can be defined recursively by the formula:
an+1 = ran
Teacher notes
Check that students understand why the first term needs to be given by asking for examples of sequences where the formula for the recursive definition is the same but the sequences are different. One such pair is 3, 6, 12, 24, 48… and 5, 10, 20, 40, 80… Both of these sequences increase by multiplying by 2, but the first terms are different.
It is also common to denote the first term of a sequence by a0, This is useful in cases of compounding interest, as then the amount after the first year is given by a1.
where r is the common ratio of the sequence.
The value of the first term needs to be given as well, so that the definition is unique.

5. Finding the ratio
The common ratio r of a geometric sequence can be found by dividing any term in the sequence by the one before it.
Find the common ratio for this geometric sequence:
8, , , , , …
Choose any term and divide it by the one before it:
r = 12 ÷ 8
Teacher notes
We can check that a sequence is geometric by dividing each term by the previous term. If the answer is always the same, then it is geometric.
We can think of the terms in the example as increasing by 50% each time.
= 1.5
The sequence continues by multiplying the previous term by 1.5.

6. The general term
How do you find the general term of a geometric sequence?
Find the nth term of the sequence, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, … 3, 6,
12,
24,
48…
× 2
× 2
× 2
× 2
This is a geometric sequence with 2 as the common ratio. We could write this sequence as: 3,
Teacher notes
Explain how this sequence can be written by multiplying the first term by 2 raised to successive powers.
Mathematical Practices
8) Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
This slide demonstrates how students should derive general formulas from repeated calculations. They should be able to find the formula for the nth term of the sequence by writing each term as the previous term multiplied by the common ratio. When written in exponent form, it can be generalized by using n to represent the nth term in the sequence.
3 × 2,
3 × 2 × 2,
3 × 2 × 2 × 2, …
3 × 2 × … × 2 or
n – 1 times 3,
3 × 2,
3 × 22,
3 × 23, …
3 × 2(n–1)
The general term of this sequence is 3 × 2(n – 1).

7. Explicit formula
If we call the first term of a geometric sequence a1 and the common ratio r, then we can write a general geometric sequence as:
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
a1,
a1 × r,
a1 × r2,
a1 × r3,
a1 × r4, …
× r
× r
× r
× r
The explicit formula for the geometric sequence with first term a1 and common ratio r is given by
an = a1rn – 1

8. Graphing a geometric sequence
The population in Boomtown over 5 years is given in the table. n 1 2 3 4 5
year
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
population
2,000
3,000
4,500
6,750
10,125
This can be modeled by a geometric sequence with explicit formula an = 2000 × 1.5n–1.
Teacher notes
The geometric sequence defines an exponential function where the domain is restricted to the natural numbers instead of all real numbers. The points of a geometric sequence will always lie on the graph of some exponential function. Remind students that all sequences are functions, where f(n) = an and the domain is the natural numbers.
Photo credit: © jupeart, Shutterstock.com 2012
We can plot the data as points on a graph with n along the x-axis and an along the y-axis.
The points lie along an exponential function.

9. Investments
Geometric sequences often occur in real life situations where there is a repeated percentage change.
For example, $800 is invested in an account with an annual interest rate of 5%.
Write a formula for the value of the investment at the beginning of the nth year.
Step 1) Every year the amount is multiplied by 1.05.
The amount in the account at the beginning of each year forms a geometric sequence with $800 as the first term and 1.05 as the common ratio.
Teacher notes
The amount in the account increases by 5% each year, so the amount after interest is 105% of the amount before interest. The common ratio in the sequence is therefore 105%, or The solution is given on the next slide.
Mathematical Practices
4) Model with mathematics.
This slide demonstrates how geometric sequences occur in the real-world. Students should be able to think about what happens to an amount of money when it gains interest annually and write this as a geometric sequence. They should realize that the interest rate of 5% means multiplying by 1.05.
$800,
$840,
$882,
$926.10, …
×1.05
×1.05
×1.05

10. Investments
When $800 is invested in an account with an annual interest rate of 5%, the amount in the account at the beginning of each year forms a geometric sequence with $800 as the first term and 1.05 as the common ratio.
Step 2) We can write the sequence as:
a1 = $800 × 1.050
a2 = $800 × 1.051
a3 = $800 × 1.052
Mathematical Practices
4) Model with mathematics.
This slide demonstrates how geometric sequences occur in the real-world. Students should be able to write a geometric formula to describe the investment value at the end of the year, and then use this formula to calculate the final amount (remembering to give the amount units, $).Students should be able to figure out that the value of the investment at the beginning of the year will have been multiplied by 1.05 one fewer times than the value at the end of the year.
Photo credit: © Lukiyanova Natalia / frenta, Shutterstock.com 2012
a4 = $800 × 1.053
an = $800 × 1.05n–1