Method-1

\(\frac{1}{(1*2)} + \frac{1}{(2*3)} + \frac{1}{(3*4)} + \frac{1}{(4*5)} + \frac{1}{(5*6)} + \frac{1}{(6*7)} + \frac{1}{(7*8)} + \frac{1}{(8*9)} + \frac{1}{(9*10)}\)

Can be Rewritten as

\([\frac{1}{1}-\frac{1}{2}] + [\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{3}] + [\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{4}] + [\frac{1}{4}-\frac{1}{5}] + [\frac{1}{5}-\frac{1}{6}] + [\frac{1}{6}-\frac{1}{7}] + [\frac{1}{7}-\frac{1}{8}] + [\frac{1}{8}-\frac{1}{9}] + [\frac{1}{9}-\frac{1}{10}]\)

Every terms cancels out except

\([\frac{1}{1}-\frac{1}{10}] = \frac{9}{10}\)
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I would not worry much about the values of fractions after 1/7*8 as they will have minimal effect on the final answer. It is also important to recognize pattern after first few divisions
48027
So, 1/(1)*(2) + 1/(2)*(3) + 1/(3)*(4) + /1(4)*(5) + /1(5)*(6) + 1/(6)*(7) ----------> 0.5 + 0.16 + 0.08 + 0.05 + 0.03 + ....... Looking at this pattern, it is safe to add 0.2. and 0.1 in the addition -----> 0.85. We can conclude that answer must be grater than 0.85. Answer E is slightly greater than this. It took me 2.32 min to solve this problem, though.
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VeritasPrepKarishma:

Can you please suggest a efficient method to solve this.

thanks GMATinsight.
It helped.

Just want to post a general strategy to solve this kind of question. As this is already solved, I will try on another similar kind. Let's try to find out the value of the below expression:

\(\frac{1}{1*3} + \frac{1}{2*4} + \frac{1}{3*5} + \frac{1}{4*6} + \frac{1}{5*7} + ........ + \frac{1}{(n-1)*(n+1)} + \frac{1}{n*(n+2)}\)

The key to solve these type of questions is to rewrite each term as difference of two fractions and then cancel out maximum possible terms.

How can we rewrite each term as difference of two fractions??

1st term : \(\frac{1}{1*3} = (\frac{1}{2})\frac{2}{1*3} = (\frac{1}{2})\frac{3-1}{1*3} = (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{3}{1*3} - \frac{1}{1*3}) = (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{1} - \frac{1}{3})\)

2nd term : \(\frac{1}{2*4} = (\frac{1}{2})\frac{2}{2*4} = (\frac{1}{2})\frac{4-2}{2*4} = (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{4}{2*4} - \frac{2}{2*4}) = (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{4})\)

Similarly, 3rd term: \(\frac{1}{3*5} = (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{3} - \frac{1}{5})\)

(n-1)th term: \(\frac{1}{(n-1)*(n+1)} = (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{(n-1)} - \frac{1}{(n+1)})\)

nth term: \(\frac{1}{n*(n+2)} = (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{n} - \frac{1}{(n+2)})\)


Now using the above terms in the expression:

\(\frac{1}{1*3} + \frac{1}{2*4} + \frac{1}{3*5} + \frac{1}{4*6} + \frac{1}{5*7} + ........ + \frac{1}{(n-1)*(n+1)} + \frac{1}{n*(n+2)}\)

= \((\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{1} - \frac{1}{3}) + (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{4}) + (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{3} - \frac{1}{5}) +(\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{4} - \frac{1}{6}) + ........ + (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{(n-1)} - \frac{1}{(n+1)}) + (\frac{1}{2})(\frac{1}{n} - \frac{1}{(n+2)})\)

= \((\frac{1}{2}) (\frac{1}{1}\) \(- \frac{1}{3}\) \(+ \frac{1}{2}\) \(- \frac{1}{4}\) \(+ \frac{1}{3}\) \(- \frac{1}{5}\) + \(\frac{1}{4}\) \(- \frac{1}{6} + ....... + \frac{1}{(n-2)}\) \(- \frac{1}{n}\) + \(\frac{1}{(n-1)} - \frac{1}{(n+1)}\) \(+ \frac{1}{n}\) \(- \frac{1}{(n+2)})\)

In the above expression, you can notice that the same coloured terms can be cancelled out.

Now after cancelling we can simplify the complete expression to

\((\frac{1}{2}) (\frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{(n+1)} - \frac{1}{(n+2)})\)

We can use similar concept to such kind of problems.

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Note that the elements of the sequence can be written in the form: \(a_n = \frac{1}{a_n * (a_{n+1})}\) = \(\frac{1}{a_n} - \frac{1}{a_{n+1}}\)

Thus the sequence can be written as : \(\frac{1}{1} - \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{3}+ \frac{1}{3} - \frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{4} - \frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{5} - \frac{1}{6}+ \frac{1}{6} - \frac{1}{7}+\frac{1}{7} - \frac{1}{8}+\frac{1}{8} - \frac{1}{9}+\frac{1}{9} - \frac{1}{10} = 1- \frac{1}{10} = \frac{9}{10}\) .

E is the correct answer.

Method-1

\(\frac{1}{(1*2)} + \frac{1}{(2*3)} + \frac{1}{(3*4)} + \frac{1}{(4*5)} + \frac{1}{(5*6)} + \frac{1}{(6*7)} + \frac{1}{(7*8)} + \frac{1}{(8*9)} + \frac{1}{(9*10)}\)

Can be Rewritten as

\([\frac{1}{1}-\frac{1}{2}] + [\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{3}] + [\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{4}] + [\frac{1}{4}-\frac{1}{5}] + [\frac{1}{5}-\frac{1}{6}] + [\frac{1}{6}-\frac{1}{7}] + [\frac{1}{7}-\frac{1}{8}] + [\frac{1}{8}-\frac{1}{9}] + [\frac{1}{9}-\frac{1}{10}]\)

Every terms cancels out except

\([\frac{1}{1}-\frac{1}{10}] = \frac{9}{10}\)


Method-2

\(\frac{1}{(1*2)} + \frac{1}{(2*3)} + \frac{1}{(3*4)} + \frac{1}{(4*5)} + \frac{1}{(5*6)} + \frac{1}{(6*7)} + \frac{1}{(7*8)} + \frac{1}{(8*9)} + \frac{1}{(9*10)}\)

Can be Rewritten as

\(0.5 + 0.166 + 0.083 + 0.05 + 0.03 + 0.023 +...\) and so on (Other values are too small)

Add Them up

SUM = Approximately \(0.85\) and a little more

Check Options:

A) 2/5 = 0.4
B) 3/5 = 0.6
C) 7/10 = 0.7
D) 46/55 = 0.83
E) 9/10 = 0.9 CORRECT

Answer: Option
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Thanks for the observation, I have merged the topics. You can tag me or PM me as and when you find a question that had already been discussed on the forums. I usually merge topics as and when I find them. This one slipped under the radar.

Topics merged.

I have doubt about it!
Ain't it time consuming and how much time did you consumed to solve this math your way? ( Just curious so would be better if you mention time needed to solve your way of thinking. I appreaciate thinking about possibilities but if during GMAT exam we are under time constrain so students always go after those techniques that helps them to pick the right answer in best possible time.

Thanks.

Not really. If you end up going for longer methods in solving GMAT questions, then you have surely missed out on certain information or methods that could have saved you some useful seconds (every second counts in GMAT!). You can see it this way: if lets say after looking at this question, your 1st instinct was to solve it by the fraction adding method (by taking the common LCM etc) or your 1st instinct was to solve it by converting fractions to decimals, then surely you have missed something. GMAT quant questions always have elegant and less time intensive solutions.

I do agree that this method of writing the given sequence in a particular way wont come straightaway but analyzing a particular question to see whether there is a method that will save time will help you in gaining those useful extra seconds. For me, I looked at the question and gave it 5-10 seconds as to how to tackle it. Converting to fractions was very straightforward and thus time consuming. It took me another 15 seconds to figure out what could be the relation (1/an+1 - 1/an etc) and finally another 20-25 seconds to write down the given sequence in the most productive manner. In total the total time was ~1 minute.

If you wouldve gone the fraction to decimal route, you would have spent some crucial seconds in calculating whats the decimal representation of 1/42 or 1/56 etc.