IA Type I -- Infinite Summation

[Markee]

So im on the part of the ia where it asks to to use different values of a in the general sequence.

...does that mean i can choose any random numbers to use as a?

are you on the second page?

I believe that's what it said

Alrighty mates!!!

I need your advices,tips and guidelines/outlines to make a properly formal maths ia coursework

So I can beef up my draft

Any of the above given (if that even made any sense - lol!) would be much appreciated to myself and to our fellow Maths SL Infinite Summation group!

Cheers!

D.Knight.Magician.10

By the way, where can I get them designs for the headers and such?

erm, do you know what page it is on exactly?

hey guys! Is this an appropriate forum to ask about the 'writing' part of the portfolio?

Edited February 18, 2011 by Mahuta ♥
No full caps lock!

[dessskris]

You see the first bit yea? Where it says DEFINE Tn (a, x) as the sum of the first n terms, for various values of a and x. what does that mean? How should I define it? Is it saying I'm gonna come up with my own values for a and x?

and you know with the two Let a=2 and a=3,right? are those like, exactly the same thing like the first one? Wherein I have to use Ms Excel to get the Sn of the values? But this time it's T9? What does T9 mean??? O.o

They are just telling you what the Tn(a, x) notation means because they are going to use this notation as you can see in the task (i.e. T9(2, x) and T9(3, x)) and you just need to use this notation in your portfolio.

Hahah why do you still not get that? Tn(a, x) is the sum of the first n terms for various values of a and x! They even gave an example T9(2, 5) is the sum of the first nine terms when a=2 and x=5!

I hope it's clear now!

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I have a quick question: how are we supposed to make it a report? My teacher tells me to avoid making it like a math QUESTION/ANSWER assignment. He keeps telling us that it should stand on its own... and to be honest i really do not know how to like write and introduction on this math problem. Because of the directions in the end i have some idea about what to do about the conclusion, but no guide whatsoever into writing an introduction... help?

Your teacher is right. Just write like you write a normal essay (e.g. A1 paper, TOK essay, etc). You have introduction, body and conclusion. I have described it in this thread. If still unclear just ask again!

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how long would you guys recommend graph decriptions be? I can never find enough words or proper terminology to describe a graph and usually get marked down for it....

oh and desy? what do you mean by "Similar necessary investigation until you can find the general statement for Tn(a,x) as n approaches ∞" in your outline?

Not too much. Describe the shape briefly but clearly. Like in the beginning how is the curve? Is that increasing or decreasing? Is the gradient steep? Then how is it? Still increasing/decreasing? Slower or faster? At the end, what happen? What value does it approach?

For example you find T9 when a=2 for 5 values of x, then when a=3 for 5 same values of x, then when a=4, then when a=4... As much as you think you need in order to find the general expression

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I am a bit confused as far as the graphs go.... when it says to plot Sn against n I am not sure what that means.... I just plotted Sn values and my y-axis was the Sn values and my x-axis was the n-values. Is that plotting Sn against n?

YES

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So im on the part of the ia where it asks to to use different values of a in the general sequence.

...does that mean i can choose any random numbers to use as a?

Yes, perhaps varying values of a like √3, π, 2e, etc...

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yeah about the taylor series... i don't understand what it is. are we just supposed to substitue some value and show that it does the same thing as this infinite sequence?

You see the Taylor Expansion equation in Ms. Word? Look at it VEEEEERY carefully! Compare it with your Tn! Do you see any similarity? Look at the equation in Ms. Word, what do you think that x is in this task?

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ALRIGHTY MATES!!!

I NEED YOUR ADVICES,TIPS AND GUIDELINES/OUTLINES TO MAKE A PROPERLY FORMAL MATHS IA COURSEWORK So I can beef up my draft

Any of the above given (if that even made any sense - lol!) would be much appreciated to myself and to our fellow Maths SL Infinite Summation group!

Cheers!

D.Knight.Magician.10

By the way, where can I get them designs for the headers and such?

hey guys! Is this an appropriate forum to ask about the 'writing' part of the portfolio?

I think it's already described quite well in this thread.

Design for headers is up to your creativity. Do not put symbol or smiley, though. Make it formal but good-looking.

If the question is specifically for this task, ask here. Otherwise, IA format and stuffs can be asked in the same thread as above

[Markee]

desy! Need help on writing the bloody thing! Idk what to put in it

Edited February 18, 2011 by Mahuta ♥
No full CAPS LOCK!

[nametaken]

desy! NEED HELP ON WRITING THE BLOODY THING! IDK WHAT TO PUT IN IT

Wow!!! Very passionate there, Mark! Put an intro, then come up with what you hope to find out, what is the aim. Do it like a report.

[dessskris]

desy! NEED HELP ON WRITING THE BLOODY THING! IDK WHAT TO PUT IN IT

whaaaaat? lol which part is that and what do you not understand?

[Markee]

desy! NEED HELP ON WRITING THE BLOODY THING! IDK WHAT TO PUT IN IT

whaaaaat? lol which part is that and what do you not understand?

SORRY >_<

I understand everything.lol

I just need to know WHAT to put in your INTRO and Conclusion on my IA and HOW should the fact sheet look like.

[dessskris]

SORRY >_<

I understand everything.lol

I just need to know WHAT to put in your INTRO and Conclusion on my IA and HOW should the fact sheet look like.

Ok great!

Umm I have never heard of this fact sheet thing so I guess it's not an IB thing and might be only for your school. Therefore we have no sample in the IAs in the Files section. Or if it's from the IBO maybe it's usually filled by the teacher. What is it actually?

I told you the intro and conclusion are already described in this thread

Introduction

• Define some terms where appropriate (e.g. define infinite sum). If you do not come up with the definitions by yourself, citations should be included as footnotes.

• Introduce the problem in the task (the term tn and Sn)

• Briefly describe what your portfolio is all about (an investigation of infinite summation)

• Mention the purpose of the portfolio (to find out the infinite sum of the sequence above -- tn)

• Name the software or program(s) that you are going to use

• Include a logo of all the software or program(s) used

Conclusion

• Tell them that this is the end of your investigation

• Conclude your answers in 1-3 sentences (summarise the investigation like what are the formulas of Sn and S∞)

• Mention the software or program(s) used in bullet points

[Markee]

SORRY >_<

I understand everything.lol

I just need to know WHAT to put in your INTRO and Conclusion on my IA and HOW should the fact sheet look like.

Ok great!

Umm I have never heard of this fact sheet thing so I guess it's not an IB thing and might be only for your school. Therefore we have no sample in the IAs in the Files section. Or if it's from the IBO maybe it's usually filled by the teacher. What is it actually?

I told you the intro and conclusion are already described in this thread

Introduction

• Define some terms where appropriate (e.g. define infinite sum). If you do not come up with the definitions by yourself, citations should be included as footnotes.

• Introduce the problem in the task (the term tn and Sn)

• Briefly describe what your portfolio is all about (an investigation of infinite summation)

• Mention the purpose of the portfolio (to find out the infinite sum of the sequence above -- tn)

• Name the software or program(s) that you are going to use

• Include a logo of all the software or program(s) used

Conclusion

• Tell them that this is the end of your investigation

• Conclude your answers in 1-3 sentences (summarise the investigation like what are the formulas of Sn and S∞)

• Mention the software or program(s) used in bullet points

lol! THANKS! I find you appealing when you're like that - lol! Maths is getting to me Anyway, cheers!

what happens if one of your column ends up showing - ##### - ?

[dessskris]

lol! THANKS! I find you appealing when you're like that - lol! Maths is getting to me Anyway, cheers!

what happens if one of your column ends up showing - ##### - ?

Appealing? lol...

You're welcome

Increase the width of the column, or format cell and set a number of decimal points. ##### means the content is too long to be displayed with that column width, thus you need to widen it

[Expired Manwich of Doom]

Upon graphing the relationship between Sn and n, do we have to include the coordinates? Mine looks pretty cramped if I include them.

[dessskris]

Upon graphing the relationship between Sn and n, do we have to include the coordinates? Mine looks pretty cramped if I include them.

The coordinates of the data points? As long as your axes are scaled, it should be fine, I suppose

An appropriate graph would include:

• Scaled and labelled x-axis
  
• Scaled and labelled y-axis
  
• Origin
  
• Label (equation) of any curve
  
• Graph caption

[cdrom]

is the general statement is statement as in words or is it an equation???? people have been suggesting a to the x power but how does that make sense? that graph looks nothing what i got

[nametaken]

is the general statement is statement as in words or is it an equation???? people have been suggesting a to the x power but how does that make sense? that graph looks nothing what i got

The general statement is not in words, but is an equation with letters that represent a general statement.

[cdrom]

is the general statement is statement as in words or is it an equation???? people have been suggesting a to the x power but how does that make sense? that graph looks nothing what i got

The general statement is not in words, but is an equation with letters that represent a general statement.

thank you soo much! and one more question... on the part with T9... since T9(2,5) is defined as the sum of the first nine terms when a=2 and x=5, than when I input various values for x.. I am only really trying to find the sum of 0<=n<=9 ... unlike the first part where I had to write down what S1, S2, S3 and so on were..... (is this correct so far?) but than i get confused at the graphing part. I do not know what to graph. Do I graph each indivudual value of x like i did for the Sn part ??

[Markee]

is the general statement is statement as in words or is it an equation???? people have been suggesting a to the x power but how does that make sense? that graph looks nothing what i got

The general statement is not in words, but is an equation with letters that represent a general statement.

thank you soo much! and one more question... on the part with T9... since T9(2,5) is defined as the sum of the first nine terms when a=2 and x=5, than when I input various values for x.. I am only really trying to find the sum of 0<=n<=9 ... unlike the first part where I had to write down what S1, S2, S3 and so on were..... (is this correct so far?) but than i get confused at the graphing part. I do not know what to graph. Do I graph each indivudual value of x like i did for the Sn part ??

I am sorry but my pal cannot answer your question for he hasn't done this IA...

Anyway, tell me what you are trying to accomplish in this last part of your IA. I have recently done this. So I might be able to assist you. If you are going to ask a lot of questions, I request that you lay them out nicely on this forum. Thanks.

And you graph the values you got from Sn(T9). Since it is the sum of that, which you are trying to get in the end, is it not?

[cdrom]

thanks for answering! okay, so i am on the part with T9 and it says to calculate T9(2,x) for various values of x. let's say i chose x=5 (that's the example they provide) so i found the partial sums of T0,T1,T2,T3....T9 than add them all up to get the sum of the first n terms when n = T9, x=5, and a=2...... now it says to plot the relation between T9 (2,x) and x. i'm not sure what it means by that though. do I have to make one plot for each x-value I choose ?? (that's what I did on the other part that had Sn)

[dessskris]

is the general statement is statement as in words or is it an equation???? people have been suggesting a to the x power but how does that make sense? that graph looks nothing what i got

Which general statement? I believe it's an expression of S∞ in terms of a and x for part one and for part two it's an expression of T9 in terms of a and x or Tn in terms of a and x. I'll check that and tell you tomorrow!

Yes that's the general statement for S∞.

Btw don't forget the limitations when stating the general statements

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on the part with T9... since T9(2,5) is defined as the sum of the first nine terms when a=2 and x=5, than when I input various values for x.. I am only really trying to find the sum of 0<=n<=9 ... unlike the first part where I had to write down what S1, S2, S3 and so on were..... (is this correct so far?) but than i get confused at the graphing part. I do not know what to graph. Do I graph each indivudual value of x like i did for the Sn part ??

Yes, you just need to find the sum of the first 9 terms. You don't need to find the sum of the first 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 nor 8 terms only the 9th sum.

You have to input various values of a and x. Maybe when a=2, you plot T9 against x. When a=3, you plot T9 against x... and so on and so forth...

Or you can also do it the other way round. When x=2, you plot T9 against a. When x=3, you plot T9 against x... and so on and so forth...

Any doubt or further question, just ask!

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thanks for answering! okay, so i am on the part with T9 and it says to calculate T9(2,x) for various values of x. let's say i chose x=5 (that's the example they provide) so i found the partial sums of T0,T1,T2,T3....T9 than add them all up to get the sum of the first n terms when n = T9, x=5, and a=2...... now it says to plot the relation between T9 (2,x) and x. i'm not sure what it means by that though. do I have to make one plot for each x-value I choose ?? (that's what I did on the other part that had Sn)

Oh, if that's the case, you find t1, t2, t3, ..., t8, t9. Then add them up. Remember tn is the nth term. Tn is the sum of all the consecutive terms until tn. If you add up T1, T2, T3, ..., T7, T8, it is wrong. Your T9 will be very big.

In that case, when a=2, plot T9 against x

[Markee]

thanks for answering! okay, so i am on the part with T9 and it says to calculate T9(2,x) for various values of x. let's say i chose x=5 (that's the example they provide) so i found the partial sums of T0,T1,T2,T3....T9 than add them all up to get the sum of the first n terms when n = T9, x=5, and a=2...... now it says to plot the relation between T9 (2,x) and x. i'm not sure what it means by that though. do I have to make one plot for each x-value I choose ?? (that's what I did on the other part that had Sn)

Tell me, how does all your graph look? And do you use Ms Excel? Because if you do, I might be able to give you a formula for Ms Excel.

You're on the right process, but for some reason, it all looks jumbled up. But it could be your way of doing it anyway.

I'd advise you to not use the example. To be safe.

It means, you plot all the values you've been able to obtain for T9 alone. In other words, plot the final data you have gathered.

[cdrom]

hhaha ill try to simplify my process/question, so the portfolio itself states that "Tn(a,x) is the sum of the first n terms for various a,x" and than "T9(2,5) is the sum of the first nine terms when a=2 and x=5" the way i interpreted that to mean was that I had to find T0,T1,T2...T8 than add them up, because that is the sum (addition) of the first nine terms (because 0 is a term, the first nine terms would actually only be 0 through 8)

so im really just trying to reassure myself that i'm understanding the portfolio and what it is asking

[dessskris]

And do you use Ms Excel? Because if you do, I might be able to give you a formula for Ms Excel.

I'd advise you to not use the example. To be safe.

No need. If cdrom uses Ms.Excel they could just show the equation from Excel. I guess it's just the same but you are not supposed to reveal the answers.

The example can be used because it's just telling us what they mean by Tn(a,x). They gave an example to prevent misunderstanding as sometimes some slow people (like me ) just won't get it.

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hhaha ill try to simplify my process/question, so the portfolio itself states that "Tn(a,x) is the sum of the first n terms for various a,x" and than "T9(2,5) is the sum of the first nine terms when a=2 and x=5" the way i interpreted that to mean was that I had to find T0,T1,T2...T8 than add them up, because that is the sum (addition) of the first nine terms (because 0 is a term, the first nine terms would actually only be 0 through 8)

so im really just trying to reassure myself that i'm understanding the portfolio and what it is asking

By term I meant the each term for each value of n. The sum (Sn in the first part and Tn(a,x) in the 2nd part) is the sum of each term until a value of n.

Sn or Tn(a,x) = t1, t2, t3, ..., t(n-1), tn

Are you clear with that?