Analyzing the Setup
Welcome, fellow traveler on the path of JEE Advanced mathematics. Today, we are going to dismantle a problem that, at first glance, looks like a chaotic mess of polynomials and factorials.
But beneath that complexity lies a beautiful, rhythmic structure waiting to be revealed. Let us begin by examining our general term:
When you encounter a polynomial divided by a factorial, your mathematical intuition should immediately trigger a specific alarm: Telescoping Series. This is the art of breaking a complex term into a difference of two simpler terms, such that the intermediate values cancel out like falling dominoes.
The Algebraic Surgery
Our first mission is to perform some algebraic surgery on that numerator. We want to see if we can relate k3+6k2+11k+5 to the factorial in the denominator.
Consider the product of three consecutive integers: (k+1)(k+2)(k+3). If you expand this, you get k3+6k2+11k+6.
Look closely at how similar this is to our numerator! The difference is merely a constant. We can rewrite our numerator as:
Now, substitute this back into our general term. We get:
Tk=(k+3)!(k+1)(k+2)(k+3)−1
By splitting this into two fractions, we obtain:
Tk=(k+3)!(k+1)(k+2)(k+3)−(k+3)!1
The Magic of Cancellation
Here is where the magic happens. Recall that (k+3)!=(k+3)(k+2)(k+1)k!.
When we divide the first fraction, the terms (k+1)(k+2)(k+3) cancel out perfectly, leaving us with k!1. Thus, our general term simplifies to:
This is the telescoping form we were hunting for. Now, we set up the sum:
Sn=k=1∑n(k!1−(k+3)!1)
When you write out the terms of this sum, you will see the positive part of one term cancelling the negative part of another. For instance, the 4!1 from the first part will cancel with the −4!1 from the second part.
This continues until only the first three terms of the first part and the last three terms of the second part remain.
The Final Push
As n approaches infinity, the terms involving (n+1)!, (n+2)!, and (n+3)! in the denominator grow infinitely large, causing the fractions to vanish to zero.
We are left with the sum of the first three terms:
Calculating this, we get:
You have just mastered the art of the telescoping series. The final result is 35. Keep this pattern in your toolkit; it is a powerful weapon for your JEE arsenal.