Science:Infinite Series Module/Units/Unit 1/1.2 Sigma Notation/1.2.02 Sigma Notation Terminology

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Terminology

The infinite sum

can be written in a more compact way. Using the capital greek letter sigma, , we may write this sum as

We often use the following terminology when using this notation

  • the general term of the sum is
  • the index of summation is
  • the limits of summation are 1 and , although in general the limits can be any integer, , or .

Simple Example

Consider the infinite series

In this example, the general term is

the index of summation is , and the limits of summation are 3 and infinity.