Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 4.9 AIME Find the answer

Find the sum of the series n=11n2+2n\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^{2}+2n}.

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

We know that 1n2+2n=1n(n+2)=1n1n+22\frac{1}{n^{2}+2n}=\frac{1}{n(n+2)}=\frac{\frac{1}{n}-\frac{1}{n+2}}{2}. So, if we sum this from 1 to \infty, all terms except for 12+122\frac{1}{2}+\frac{\frac{1}{2}}{2} will cancel out (a 'telescoping' series). Therefore, the sum will be 34\frac{3}{4}.

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