TITLE: Finding the sum of the infinite series whose general term is not easy to visualize: $\frac16+\frac5{6\cdot12}+\frac{5\cdot8}{6\cdot12\cdot18}+\cdots$
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: I am to find out the sum of infinite series:-
$$\frac{1}{6}+\frac{5}{6\cdot12}+\frac{5\cdot8}{6\cdot12\cdot18}+\frac{5\cdot8\cdot11}{6\cdot12\cdot18\cdot24}+...............$$
I can not figure out the general term of this series. It is looking like a power series as follows:-
$$\frac{1}{6}+\frac{5}{6^2\cdot2!}+\frac{5\cdot8}{6^3\cdot3!}+\frac{5\cdot8\cdot11}{6^4\cdot4!}+.....$$
So how to solve it and is there any easy way to find out the general term of such type of series?

REPLY [4 votes]: Let us consider $$\Sigma=\frac{1}{6}+\frac{5}{6\times 12}+\frac{5\times8}{6\times12\times18}+\frac{5\times8\times11}{6\times12\times18\times24}+\cdots$$ and let us rewrite it as $$\Sigma=\frac{1}{6}+\frac 16\left(\frac{5}{ 12}+\frac{5\times8}{12\times18}+\frac{5\times8\times11}{12\times18\times24}+\cdots\right)=\frac{1}{6}+\frac 16 \sum_{n=0}^\infty S_n$$ using $$S_n=\frac{\prod_{i=0}^n(5+3i)}{\prod_{i=0}^n(12+6i)}$$ Using the properties of the gamma function, we have $$\prod_{i=0}^n(5+3i)=\frac{5\ 3^n \Gamma \left(n+\frac{8}{3}\right)}{\Gamma \left(\frac{8}{3}\right)}$$ $$\prod_{i=0}^n(12+6i)=6^{n+1} \Gamma (n+3)$$ which make $$S_n=\frac{5\ 2^{-n-1} \Gamma \left(n+\frac{8}{3}\right)}{3 \Gamma
   \left(\frac{8}{3}\right) \Gamma (n+3)}$$ $$\sum_{n=0}^\infty S_n=\frac{10 \left(3\ 2^{2/3}-4\right) \Gamma \left(\frac{2}{3}\right)}{9 \Gamma
   \left(\frac{8}{3}\right)}=3\ 2^{2/3}-4$$ $$\Sigma=\frac{1}{\sqrt[3]{2}}-\frac{1}{2}$$