How to evaluate sigma notation

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Yuna Kim
Yuna Kim on 22 Nov 2011
Hi everyone! I am completely new to Matlab and am in need of great help.
I have to find the algebraic sum of (n sigma i=1) (5/n) ((5i/n)^4 + 5(5i/n)^2 + 5i/n)
I am totally lost. Thank you so much if you can help!
  1 Comment
Jan
Jan on 22 Nov 2011
The shown notation is not clear. Which are the limits of the sum?

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Answers (3)

Jan
Jan on 22 Nov 2011
For homework questions the usual proceding is, that you show, what you have done so far and ask a specific question. Then you have the chance to submit the solution without cheating.

Yuna Kim
Yuna Kim on 22 Nov 2011
Well, ultimately the question is asking to take the sum to infinity so n isn't defined but the initial question is to express the area under the curve y=x^4 + 5x^2 + x from 2 to 7 as a limit.
I'm asking for part b which asks to use a computer algebra system (matlab) to evaluate the sum in part (a).
Btw, thanks for asking!

Walter Roberson
Walter Roberson on 22 Nov 2011
syms i n
symsum(5*((5*i/n)^4..., i, 1, n)
However, this does not appear to have anything to do with that integral.
  2 Comments
Yuna Kim
Yuna Kim on 22 Nov 2011
We have to ultimately take the limit to infinity to find the actual sum. I did everything by hand already but have to show it through matlab as well, which is what I am having trouble with. I should be able to find the area if I take the limit to infinity.
I have entered limit (3125/n^4 - 625/n^2 + (25*sqrt(-1))/n, n, infinity) but it is giving me zero which makes me think that I got the summation wrong.
Am I doing something wrong?
Yuna Kim
Yuna Kim on 22 Nov 2011
also i^2 should equal n(n+1)(2n+1)/6 and so on.

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