Exercise · ZW-PENTAGONAL-NUMBER-THEOREM-003 · ★☆☆ Basic

What exponent does \(k=-1\) give in \(k(3k-1)/2\)?

Choose one option.

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  • D. 2

Explanation

With \(k=-1\) we get \((-1)(-4)/2=2\). The value 1 corresponds to \(k=1\), and -2 is not a valid exponent in the theorem.

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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

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