CAIE P3 2009 November — Question 3

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP3 (Pure Mathematics 3)
Year2009
SessionNovember
TopicSequences and series, recurrence and convergence

3 The sequence of values given by the iterative formula $$x _ { n + 1 } = \frac { 3 x _ { n } } { 4 } + \frac { 15 } { x _ { n } ^ { 3 } }$$ with initial value \(x _ { 1 } = 3\), converges to \(\alpha\).
  1. Use this iterative formula to find \(\alpha\) correct to 2 decimal places, giving the result of each iteration to 4 decimal places.
  2. State an equation satisfied by \(\alpha\) and hence find the exact value of \(\alpha\).