4 The functions e x and ln x

Ext4

Extension 1 Using a spreadsheet, or otherwise, find an approximate value of e by evaluating

Exercise 4 the first twelve terms of the series
1 1 1
e ˆ 1‡ ‡ ‡ ‡



1! 2! 3!

2 A generous banker offers a rate of interest of 100% per annum. An investor

deposits £1 for a year, so, at the end of the year the investment is worth £2.
The banker now decides to calculate the interest twice yearly, i.e. every 6
months,
2
so that the investment of £1 will be worth, at the end of the year, £ 1 ‡ 12 .
a Work out the value, at the end of the year, of £1 invested, when the interest
is calculated regularly 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 times a year. Show that when the
interest is paid at n regular intervals throughout the year, the total sum at
the end of the year will be
 n
1
£ 1‡
n  n
1
b Investigate the value of 1 ‡ as n ! 1.
n

3 Investigate the value of this continued fraction.

2‡ 1
1
1 ‡ 2‡ 2
3‡ 3
4‡ 4
5 ‡ 5

4 a Using a spreadsheet or otherwise, find the gradient of y ˆ 2x at the point (0, 1).
Use the method given on pages 90±91.
b Repeat part a for y ˆ 3x .
c By trying different values of a in y ˆ ax , find the value of a for which the
gradient of y ˆ ax is 1 at (0, 1).

A2 Core for Edexcel # Pearson Education Ltd. 2005 1