Chapter 6: Sequence Graphing 158
Recursive Sequences
Recursive SequencesRecursive Sequences
Recursive Sequences
In a recursive sequence, the
nth term in the sequence is defined in relation to the
previous term or the term that precedes the previous term, represented by
u(nN1) and
u(nN2). A recursive sequence may also be defined in relation to n, as in u(n)=u(nN1)+n.
For example, in the sequence below you cannot calculate u(5) without first calculating
u(1), u(2), u(3), and u(4).
Using an initial value
u(nMin) = 1, the sequence above returns 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ... .
Note: On the TI-84 Plus, you must type each character of the terms. For example, to
enter
u(nN1), press y [u] £ „ ¹ À ¤.
Recursive sequences require an initial value or values, since they reference undefined
terms.
• If each term in the sequence is defined in relation to the previous term, as in
u(nN1),
you must specify an initial value for the first term.
• If each term in the sequence is defined in relation to the term that precedes the
previous term, as in
u(nN2), you must specify initial values for the first two terms.
To Next Page
Loading...
