# Proof by induction

Wed 11 November 2015

Filed under math

Tags math

Good example of a proof by induction. The problem is from a chapter in the book The Art of Proof.

### For $x\not = 1$ and $k \in\mathbb{Z_{{\geq}0}}$, prove that $\displaystyle\sum\limits_{j=0}^k x^j =\frac {1-x^{k+1}}{1-x}$

We proceed by proof by Induction.
Let $P(k)$ denote the statement $\displaystyle\sum\limits_{j=0}^k x^j =\frac {1-x^{k+1}}{1-x}$.
Checking the base case, in this case $k=0$, we show that \begin{align*}
P(0) &=\displaystyle\sum\limits_{j=0}^0 x^j \\ &=\frac {1-x^{0+1}}{1-x}\\ &=\frac {1-x}{1-x}\\ &=1. \end{align*} Now, we assume $P(k)$ to be true, that is $\displaystyle\sum\limits_{j=0}^k x^j =\frac {1-x^{k+1}}{1-x}$. Next we show $P(k+1)$ to be true, that is \begin{align*} \displaystyle\sum\limits_{j=0}^{k+1} x^j &= \displaystyle\sum\limits_{j=0}^k x^j + x^{k+1}\\ &= \frac {1-x^{k+1}}{1-k} + {x^{k+1}} \text{ by the induction hypothesis}\\ &= \frac {1-x^{k+1}}{1-x} + \frac {x^{k+1}*({1-x})}{1-x}\\ &=\frac{1-x^{k+1}+x^{k+1}-x^{k+1+1}}{1-x}\\ &=\frac{1-x^{k+2}}{1-x}.\\ \end{align*}.