Arithmetic Sequence Rule: Determine the Increment for 4, 14, 24, 34

Question

What is the term-to-term rule of the sequence below?

4, 14, 24, 34, ...

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Find the sequence formula
00:04 Identify the first term according to the given data
00:09 Notice the constant difference between terms
00:14 This is the constant difference
00:19 Use the formula to describe an arithmetic sequence
00:27 Substitute appropriate values and solve to find the sequence formula
00:50 Open parentheses properly, multiply by each factor
00:53 Continue solving
00:59 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the sequence progression
  • Step 2: Find the common difference
  • Step 3: Formulate the nn-th term rule

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: Analyze the sequence. The sequence provided is 4, 14, 24, 34, ...

Step 2: Calculate the common difference by subtracting successive terms:
144=10 14 - 4 = 10 , 2414=10 24 - 14 = 10 , and 3424=10 34 - 24 = 10 .
The common difference is 10.

Step 3: Use the common difference and the first term to find the formula:
The sequence is arithmetic with the first term a1=4 a_1 = 4 and common difference d=10 d = 10 .
The formula for the nn-th term of an arithmetic sequence is given by:
an=a1+(n1)d a_n = a_1 + (n-1) \cdot d .
Plug a1=4 a_1 = 4 and d=10 d = 10 into the formula:
an=4+(n1)10 a_n = 4 + (n-1) \cdot 10
an=4+10n10 a_n = 4 + 10n - 10
Thus, an=10n6 a_n = 10n - 6 .

Therefore, the sequence can be represented by the term-to-term rule:
10n6 10n - 6 .

Answer

10n6 10n-6