6. Recursively Defined Sequences
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The given rule means that, after the first term of the sequence, every term f(n) is the negative previous term f(n-1).
f(2) = - 8 f(5) = 8 f(10) = - 8
f(1)&=8 f(n)&=- f(n-1), for n>1 To do so, we will use a table.
| n | f(n)=- f(n-1) | f(n) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | f( 1)=8 | 8 |
| 2 | f( 2)=- f( 2-1) ⇕ f(2)=- f(1) |
f(2)=- 8 ⇕ f(2)= - 8 |
| 3 | f( 3)=- f( 3-1) ⇕ f(3)=- f(2) |
f(3)=- ( - 8) ⇕ f(3)= 8 |
| 4 | f( 4)=- f( 4-1) ⇕ f(4)=- f(3) |
f(4)=- 8 ⇕ f(4)= - 8 |
| 5 | f( 5)=- f( 5-1) ⇕ f(5)=- f(4) |
f(5)=- ( - 8) ⇕ f(5)= 8 |
| 6 | f( 6)=- f( 6-1) ⇕ f(6)=- f(5) |
f(6)=- 8 ⇕ f(6)= - 8 |
| 7 | f( 7)=- f( 7-1) ⇕ f(7)=- f(6) |
f(7)=- ( - 8) ⇕ f(7)= 8 |
| 8 | f( 8)=- f( 8-1) ⇕ f(8)=- f(7) |
f(8)=- 8 ⇕ f(8)= - 8 |
| 9 | f( 9)=- f( 9-1) ⇕ f(9)=- f(8) |
f(9)=- ( - 8) ⇕ f(9)= 8 |
| 10 | f( 10)=- f( 10-1) ⇕ f(10)=- f(9) |
f(10)=- 8 ⇕ f(10)= - 8 |
Therefore, f(2) = - 8, f(5) = 8 and f(10) = - 8.