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Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Reader's Digest. Oct. 1977. |
Loci: ConvergenceSums of Powers of Positive IntegersSolutions to Exercises 9-12Exercise 9.
Figure 19. Each side of the equation $$(4 + 1)\sum_{i = 1}^4 {i^2 } = \sum_{i = 1}^4 {i^3 } + \sum_{p = 1}^4 {\sum_{i = 1}^p {i^2 } }$$ is the area of the rectangle.
Exercise 10. Let k = 1 in Figure 7. Then each side of the equation $$(n + 1)\sum_{i = 1}^n i = \sum_{i = 1}^n {i^2 } + \sum_{p = 1}^n {\sum_{i = 1}^p i }$$ is the area of the rectangle. Letting k = 1 in the equation $$(n + 1)\sum_{i = 1}^n {i^k} = \sum_{i = 1}^n {i^{k + 1}} + \sum_{p = 1}^n {\sum_{i = 1}^p {i^k }}$$ gives the equation $$(n + 1)\sum_{i = 1}^n i = \sum_{i = 1}^n {i^2 } + \sum_{p = 1}^n {\sum_{i = 1}^p i }$$ or \(\displaystyle{(n + 1)(1 + 2 + 3 + \cdots + n) =}\) $$(1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 ) + \sum_{p = 1}^n {(1 + 2 + 3 + \cdots + p)}$$ or \(\displaystyle{1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 =}\) $$(n + 1)(1 + 2 + 3 + \cdots + n) - \sum_{p = 1}^n {(1 + 2 + 3 + \cdots + p)}$$ or $$\eqalign{1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 & = (n + 1)\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over 2}} \right) - \sum_{p = 1}^n {{{p(p + 1)} \over 2}}\cr &= (n + 1)\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over 2}} \right) - {1 \over 2}\sum_{p = 1}^n {p^2 } - {1 \over 2}\sum_{p = 1}^n p \cr &= (n + 1)\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over 2}} \right) - {1 \over 2}\left( {1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 } \right)}$$ \(\displaystyle{- {1 \over 2}\left( {1 + 2 + 3 + \cdots + n} \right)}\) or $$\eqalign{{3 \over 2}\left( {1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 } \right) &= (n + 1)\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over 2}} \right) - {1 \over 2}{{n(n + 1)} \over 2}\cr &= \left( {n + {1 \over 2}} \right)\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over 2}} \right)}$$ or $$1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 = {{n(n + 1)(2n + 1)} \over 6}.$$
Exercise 11. Let k = 2 in Figure 7. Then each side of the equation $$(n + 1)\sum_{i = 1}^n i^2 = \sum_{i = 1}^n {i^3 } + \sum_{p = 1}^n {\sum_{i = 1}^p i^2}$$ is the area of the rectangle. Letting k = 2 in the equation $$(n + 1)\sum_{i = 1}^n {i^k} = \sum_{i = 1}^n {i^{k + 1}} + \sum_{p = 1}^n {\sum_{i = 1}^p {i^k }}$$ gives the equation $$(n + 1)\sum_{i = 1}^n i^2 = \sum_{i = 1}^n {i^3} + \sum_{p = 1}^n {\sum_{i = 1}^p i^2 }$$ or \(\displaystyle{(n + 1)(1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 ) =}\) $$(1^3 + 2^3 + 3^3 + \cdots + n^3 ) + \sum_{p = 1}^n {(1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + p^2 )}$$ or \(\displaystyle{1^3 + 2^3 + 3^3 + \cdots + n^3 =}\) $$(n + 1)(1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 ) - \sum_{p = 1}^n {(1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + p^2 )}.$$ If we now apply the formula for the sum of the squares, the equation becomes $$1^3 + 2^3 + 3^3 + \cdots + n^3 = (n + 1)\left( {{{n(n + 1)(2n + 1)} \over 6}} \right) - \sum_{p = 1}^n {{{p(p + 1)(2p + 1)} \over 6}}$$ $$= (n + 1)\left( {{{n(n + 1)(2n + 1)} \over 6}} \right) - {1 \over 3}\sum_{p = 1}^n {p^3 } - {1 \over 2}\sum_{p = 1}^n {p^2 } - {1 \over 6}\sum_{p = 1}^n p$$ $$ = (n + 1)\left( {{{n(n + 1)(2n + 1)} \over 6}} \right) - {1 \over 3}\left( {1^3 + 2^3 + 3^3 + \cdots + n^3 } \right)$$ \(\displaystyle{- {1 \over 2}\left( {1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + \cdots + n^2 } \right) - {1 \over 6}\left( {1 + 2 + 3 + \cdots + n} \right)}.\) Collecting sums of cubes and applying the formula for the sum of the squares again, we have \(\displaystyle{{4 \over 3}\left( 1^3 + 2^3 + 3^3 + \cdots + n^3 \right) =}\) $$(n + 1)\left( {n(n + 1)(2n + 1) \over 6} \right) - {1 \over 2}{{n(n + 1)(2n + 1)} \over 6} - {1 \over 6}{{n(n + 1)} \over 2}$$ or $$\eqalign{1^3 + 2^3 + 3^3 + \cdots + n^3 &= {3 \over 4}\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over {12}}\left( {2(n + 1)(2n + 1) - (2n + 1) - 1} \right)} \right)\cr &= {1 \over 4}\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over 4}\left( {(2n + 1)^2 - 1} \right)} \right)\cr &= {1 \over 4}\left( {{{n(n + 1)} \over 4}\left( {4n^2 + 4n} \right)} \right)}$$ or $$1^3 + 2^3 + 3^3 + \cdots + n^3 = \left( n(n + 1) \over 2 \right)^2.$$
Exercise 12. $$\eqalign{\left({n \over 5} + {1 \over 5} \right)n\left( n + {1 \over 2} \right)\left( (n + 1)n - {1 \over 3} \right) &={1 \over 5}(n + 1)n\left({1 \over 2} \right)(2n + 1)\left((n + 1)n - {1 \over 3} \right)\cr &={n(n + 1)(2n + 1) \over 6}\left({3 \over 5}(n + 1)n - {1 \over 5} \right).}$$ Next page >> Solutions to Exercises 13-14 Pages: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Beery, Janet, "Sums of Powers of Positive Integers," Loci (February 2009), DOI: 10.4169/loci003284 Discuss this articlestart a new discussion thread | show all 3 threads about this article thread #1: Karaji's solutionI just wonder if the Karaji Generalized his method of solutions? Is there any information about that. For instance did he found sum of fifth powers? Reply:Al-Karaji and higher powers by Janet Beery (posted: 01/20/2010 ) thread #2: On the symmetry of the resulting polynomials== Conjecture == It would be interesting to know that * sums of odd powers can be factored as a polynomial on (n ââ¹â¦ (n + 1) / 2) and is therefore symmetric with the center at (âËâý); and that * sums of even powers can be factored to a function like above multiplied by (2 ââ¹â¦ n + 1) and therefore antisymmetric with the center at (âËâý). It would be interesting to know whether any rule concerning the polynomials thus obtained. Replies:Re: On the symmetry of the resulting polynomials by Rick Mabry (posted: 12/30/2011 ) More about symmetry: by Janet Beery (posted: 01/03/2013 ) |