Calculus · real student question

Evaluate 1/Gamma(3/5) times the sum from n = 1 to infinity of (1/10)^(8n/5 + 1) divided by Gamma(8n/5 + 1).

Question

Evaluate 1Γ(35)n=1(110)85n+1Γ(85n+1)\frac{1}{\Gamma\left(\frac{3}{5}\right)}\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\left(\frac{1}{10}\right)^{\frac{8}{5}n+1}}{\Gamma\left(\frac{8}{5}n+1\right)} to six significant figures.

Step-by-step solution

  1. Recognise the shape of the series. The summand zαn+1Γ(αn+1)\dfrac{z^{\alpha n+1}}{\Gamma(\alpha n+1)} with z=110z=\tfrac{1}{10} and α=85\alpha=\tfrac85 is a Mittag-Leffler-type term. There is no elementary closed form, so the practical route is to sum numerically — and because z<1z<1 while Γ(αn+1)\Gamma(\alpha n+1) grows super-exponentially, only a handful of terms carry any weight.

  2. Compute the n=1n=1 term. The exponent is 85(1)+1=2.6\tfrac85(1)+1=2.6, so the term is 102.6Γ(2.6)=2.511886×1031.4296246=1.757025×103\dfrac{10^{-2.6}}{\Gamma(2.6)}=\dfrac{2.511886\times10^{-3}}{1.4296246}=1.757025\times10^{-3}.

  3. Compute the n=2n=2 and n=3n=3 terms. For n=2n=2 the exponent is 4.24.2: 104.2Γ(4.2)=6.309573×1057.7566895=8.134364×106\dfrac{10^{-4.2}}{\Gamma(4.2)}=\dfrac{6.309573\times10^{-5}}{7.7566895}=8.134364\times10^{-6}. For n=3n=3 the exponent is 5.85.8: 105.8Γ(5.8)=1.584893×10685.621738=1.851041×108\dfrac{10^{-5.8}}{\Gamma(5.8)}=\dfrac{1.584893\times10^{-6}}{85.621738}=1.851041\times10^{-8}.

  4. Check that the tail is negligible. The n=4n=4 term is 2.58×10112.58\times10^{-11} and the n=5n=5 term is 2.48×10142.48\times10^{-14}; each successive term drops by roughly two to three orders of magnitude. Truncating after n=3n=3 therefore fixes the sum to well beyond six significant figures: n=110(1.6n+1)Γ(1.6n+1)=1.765178×103.\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{10^{-(1.6n+1)}}{\Gamma(1.6n+1)}=1.765178\times10^{-3}.

  5. Divide by Γ(3/5)\Gamma(3/5). With Γ(0.6)=1.4891922\Gamma(0.6)=1.4891922, 1.765178×1031.4891922=1.185326×103.\frac{1.765178\times10^{-3}}{1.4891922}=1.185326\times10^{-3}.

  6. State the value. The whole expression equals 0.001185320.00118532 to six significant figures; the n=1n=1 term alone already supplies 99.5 percent of it.

Answer

1Γ(35)n=1(110)85n+1Γ(85n+1)0.00118532\frac{1}{\Gamma\left(\frac{3}{5}\right)}\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\left(\frac{1}{10}\right)^{\frac{8}{5}n+1}}{\Gamma\left(\frac{8}{5}n+1\right)}\approx 0.00118532

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