TOPICS
Search

Sigma Notation


Sigma notation uses the Greek capital letter sum to write a finite or infinite sum. For example,

 sum_(k=m)^na_k=a_m+a_(m+1)+...+a_n,

where k is the index of summation, m and n are its lower and upper limits, and a_k is the summand. The index is a dummy variable and may be renamed without changing the sum. Infinite sigma notation denotes a series and requires a specified notion of convergence.


See also

Series, Summation

Explore with Wolfram|Alpha

References

Graham, R. L.; Knuth, D. E.; and Patashnik, O. Concrete Mathematics, 2nd ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1994.

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Sigma Notation." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/SigmaNotation.html

Subject classifications