Sunday, April 14, 2019

algebra precalculus - Intuition behind sum of multiplication arithmetic sequence

Maybe this is a stupid question but please guide and enlighten me patiently. I have just known something fact that quite shocking me. Let start from this simple fact

$$\sum_{k=1}^n k=\frac{n(n+1)}{2}\tag{1}$$
The summation above is a sum of arithmetic progression with common difference of 1 and I have already known it. Then, it turns out (I realized these when playing with Wolfram|Alpha)
$$\begin{align}\sum_{k=1}^n k(k+1)&=\frac{n(n+1)(n+2)}{3}\tag{2}\\\sum_{k=1}^n k(k+1)(k+2)&=\frac{n(n+1)(n+2)(n+3)}{4}\tag{3}\\\sum_{k=1}^n k(k+1)(k+2)(k+3)&=\frac{n(n+1)(n+2)(n+3)(n+4)}{5}\tag{4}\\\end{align}$$
and it seems (I haven't proved it yet)
$$\sum_{k=1}^n k(k+1)(k+2)\cdots(k+r)=\frac{n(n+1)(n+2)(n+3)(n+4)\cdots(n+r+1)}{r+2}\tag{5}$$
We have an obvious pattern here. I know the intuition of $(1)$, but I am wondering what are the intuitutions for the other sums: $(2),\,(3),\,(4),\,(5)$?



I can derive $(2)$ using well-known formulas for arithmetic series and square pyramidal number, but how do the other formulas, $(3),\,(4),\,(5)$, derive? Does it use Faulhaber's formula?

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