Analyzing the Setup
The beauty of the telescoping series is a powerful tool in your mathematical arsenal. We are given the expression 4an=n2+5n+6, and our objective is to determine the value of the sum S2025=∑k=12025ak1.
The Art of Factorization
The first step in any sequence problem involving a quadratic is to factorize the expression. We examine n2+5n+6, which can be factored by splitting the middle term:
Consequently, our expression for an becomes:
Since we require the reciprocal for our summation, we invert the expression:
The Magic of Partial Fractions
We now have a product of two consecutive integers in the denominator, which is the classic signature of a telescoping series. We can express the fraction as a difference by noting that (k+3)−(k+2)=1:
(k+2)(k+3)1=(k+2)(k+3)(k+3)−(k+2)=k+21−k+31
Multiplying by the constant 4, we obtain the general term for our summation:
The Telescoping Collapse
We now set up the sum Sn=4∑k=1n(k+21−k+31). Expanding this sum reveals a chain reaction of cancellations:
Sn=4[(31−41)+(41−51)+⋯+(n+21−n+31)]
As the intermediate terms cancel out, we are left only with the first and the last terms:
The Grand Finale
We are now ready to calculate the value for n=2025. Substituting this into our formula, we get:
S2025=4(31−2025+31)=4(31−20281)
To subtract these, we find a common denominator. Since 2028=3×676, we rewrite 31 as 2028676:
S2025=4(2028676−1)=4(2028675)
Dividing 2028 by 4 yields 507, simplifying the expression to S2025=507675. The final result, 507S2025, is therefore:
675