1 Let \(a\) be a positive constant.
- Use the method of differences to find \(\sum _ { \mathrm { r } = 1 } ^ { \mathrm { n } } \frac { 1 } { ( \mathrm { ar } + 1 ) ( \mathrm { ar } + \mathrm { a } + 1 ) }\) in terms of \(n\) and \(a\).
- Find the value of \(a\) for which \(\sum _ { r = 1 } ^ { \infty } \frac { 1 } { ( a r + 1 ) ( a r + a + 1 ) } = \frac { 1 } { 6 }\).