Exercise · ZW-PENTAGONAL-NUMBER-THEOREM-001 · ★☆☆ Basic

What sign does the term with exponent \(k(3k-1)/2\) have when \(k=1\) in the theorem's sum?

Choose one option.

Show answer
  • B. Negative

Explanation

With \(k=1\), the sign is \((-1)^1=-1\), so the term is negative. Positive would be correct only for even \(k\).

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Review the concept: Pentagonal number theorem

Euler's pentagonal number theorem states that the product \(\prod_{n\ge1}(1-x^n)\) equals an alternating sum of powers of \(x\) indexed by generalized pentagonal numbers.

\[\prod_{n\ge1}(1-x^n)=\sum_{k=-\infty}^{\infty}(-1)^k x^{k(3k-1)/2}\]

More practice problems: pentagonal number theorem

ZW-PENTAGONAL-NUMBER-THEOREM-002 →