Getting Closer and Closer: The Limit of a Sequence
Imagine a game where you keep getting closer and closer to a special number, but you never quite reach it! That's kind of like a limit of a sequence. It's about what number a list of numbers is heading towards.
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Limit of a sequence
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Key Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a limit of a sequence?+
It is the special number that the terms of a sequence get closer to as you keep going, even if they never exactly reach it.
How do we know when a sequence has a limit?+
If for any tiny distance we can find a point in the sequence after which all later terms stay within that distance of the limit.
Can you give an example of a sequence that has a limit?+
The sequence 1/n (1, 1/2, 1/3, …) gets closer and closer to 0 as n gets bigger.
Why do limits matter in math and science?+
They help us understand how things behave when we keep doing something over and over, like how a ball slows down to a stop or how a computer program gets faster.
How can we find the limit of a sequence?+
By using rules like adding, multiplying, or squeezing the sequence between two others, or by simplifying the formula to see what it approaches.
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