Edexcel C1 — Question 1

Exam BoardEdexcel
ModuleC1 (Core Mathematics 1)
TopicArithmetic Sequences and Series

  1. A sequence is defined by the recurrence relation
$$u _ { n + 1 } = \sqrt { \left( \frac { u _ { n } } { 2 } + \frac { a } { u _ { n } } \right) } , \quad n = 1,2,3 , \ldots ,$$ where \(a\) is a constant.
  1. Given that \(a = 20\) and \(u _ { 1 } = 3\), find the values of \(u _ { 2 } , u _ { 3 }\) and \(u _ { 4 }\), giving your answers to 2 decimal places.
  2. Given instead that \(u _ { 1 } = u _ { 2 } = 3\),
    1. calculate the value of \(a\),
    2. write down the value of \(u _ { 5 }\).