Series: worked exam questions

15 solved series questions, each worked line by line the way the 0606 mark scheme rewards. Learn the method in the Series topic notes, then see it applied here.

Paper 2 5 marks

A Geometric Series Problem: The Bouncing Ball

Find the total distance a bouncing ball travels using a geometric series and sum to infinity, a classic 0606 applied GP question.

Paper 2 4 marks

An Arithmetic Progression Savings Problem

Model a weekly savings plan as an arithmetic progression and find the total saved, a 0606 applied AP question testing the translation to a and d.

Paper 1 6 marks

Arithmetic Progression from Two Given Terms

Given the 5th and 12th terms of an AP, find the first term, common difference and the sum of 20 terms, a 0606 question solved by simultaneous equations.

Paper 2 5 marks

Binomial Expansion: Finding an Unknown Constant

Given the coefficient of x² in (2 + kx)⁶, find k, a 0606 binomial question that isolates one term with the general term rather than expanding everything.

Paper 2 5 marks

Binomial: The Term Independent of x

Find the constant term in a binomial expansion by setting the power of x to zero, a 0606 question using the general term to target one specific term.

Paper 1 4 marks

Coefficient in a Product with a Binomial Expansion

Find the coefficient of x² in (1+2x)(1−x)⁶ by expanding only the terms that can produce x², a common 0606 binomial question.

Paper 1 6 marks

Finding n and a from Binomial Coefficients

Given two coefficients in the expansion of (1+ax)ⁿ, set up simultaneous equations to find n and a, a frequently examined 0606 binomial question.

Paper 1 3 marks

Finding the First Term of an AP from a Sum

Given the sum of the first n terms and the common difference, find the first term of an arithmetic progression, a 0606 question running the sum formula in reverse.

Paper 1 6 marks

Geometric Progression from Two Given Terms

Given the 2nd and 5th terms of a GP, find the common ratio, first term and the sum of 8 terms, a 0606 question solved by dividing the term equations.

Paper 2 6 marks

Geometric Series: Salary with Annual Rises

A salary rising by a fixed percentage each year forms a geometric progression; find a later year's pay and the total over ten years, a 0606 series application.

Paper 2 5 marks

How Many AP Terms Are Needed to Exceed a Value

Find how many terms of an arithmetic progression are needed for the sum to first exceed 200, a 0606 question that ends in a quadratic inequality in n.

Paper 1 4 marks

Recurring Decimal as a Geometric Series

Convert 0.474747… to a fraction using the sum to infinity of a geometric series, a neat 0606 application of S∞ = a/(1−r).

Paper 1 4 marks

Sum of Multiples in a Range

Add up all the multiples of 3 below 100 by treating them as an arithmetic progression, finding n first, then applying the sum formula, a 0606 series question.

Paper 2 5 marks

Sum to Infinity of a Geometric Progression

Given the first term and sum to infinity of a GP, find the common ratio and a later term, a 0606 question testing the |r| < 1 convergence condition.

Paper 1 4 marks

The First Negative Term of an AP

Find the first negative term of a decreasing arithmetic progression by solving an inequality for n, a 0606 question ending with a whole-number check.

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