We've seen that we can represent functions pretty well as Taylor
polynomials. Now we create functions out of series of terms extending
off into infinity.
As an example, and one of the most important, consider the
"geometric series" function
\[
\frac{1}{1-x}=\sum_{n=0}^\infty x^n
\]
(where $x$ plays the role that we've been having $r$ play).
The questions we ask of these series are these:
- Where are they centered?
- What is the radius of convergence?
- What are their domains? (Often not the same as
that of the given expression.)
- In particular, what happens on the boundary of the domain?