Identify series type: Identify the type of series. The series given is a geometric series because each term is obtained by multiplying the previous term by a common ratio, which is 0.9 in this case.
Use formula for sum: Use the formula for the sum of a finite geometric series.The sum S of a geometric series with first term a, common ratio r (where |r| < 1), and n terms is given by the formula:S=1−ra(1−rn)Here, a=−3 (the first term), r=0.9 (the common ratio), and n=30 (since we are summing from k=0 to k=29).
Plug values and calculate: Plug the values into the formula and calculate the sum.S=−3(1−0.930)/(1−0.9)Now we need to calculate 0.930 and then the rest of the expression.
Calculate 0.930: Calculate 0.930. 0.930 is a very small number, and for practical purposes, we can consider it to be close to 0 when subtracted from 1, given the context of the other answer choices. However, for accuracy, we should still calculate it.
Calculate sum using approximation: Calculate the sum using the approximation that 0.930 is close to 0. S≈−3(1−0)/(1−0.9)S≈−3/0.1S≈−30
Check answer choices: Check the answer choices for the closest value to our calculation.The closest value to −30 is (B) −28.7. Therefore, the sum of the series is approximately −28.7.
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