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jmc

algebra senior

Problem

Consider the geometric series . If the sum is a perfect square, what is the smallest possible value of where is a positive integer?
Solution
We use the formula for the sum of a geometric series to get the sum . We want to be a perfect square , where is a positive integer. So we have and start trying values for until we get a positive integer . If , then , but that means . If , then . If , then , which doesn't yield an integer value for . If , then , so , which is a positive integer.

OR

For an infinite geometric series to converge, the common ratio must be between and . Thus must be less than 1, which means is greater than 3. We try and get that , which is a perfect square.
Final answer
4