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+5
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Evaluate (-1)^1+(-1)^2+(-1)^3+...+(-1)^2016

 Sep 18, 2016
 #1
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+5

Can be seen as two series:

1) (-1)^2 + (-1)^4 + (-1)^6.........+(-1)^2016=+1008 positive terms.

 

2) (-)^1 + (-1)^3 + (-1)^5...........+(-1)^2015=-1008 negative terms.

So, +1,008 -1,008 =0

 

2) Can also be summed up on Wolfram/Alpha as follows:

∑[ (-1)^(2n) +(-1)^(2n-1)] , n=1 to 2016, which gives this:

sum_(n=1)^2016((-1)^(2 n)+(-1)^(2 n-1)) = 0

 Sep 18, 2016

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