Determine the Arithmetic Sequence Rule: What's the Pattern for 2, 10, 18?

Question

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

2, 10, 18, ...

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Find the sequence formula
00:04 Identify the first term according to the given data
00:08 Notice the constant difference between terms
00:13 This is the constant difference
00:19 Use the formula to describe an arithmetic sequence
00:25 Substitute appropriate values and solve to find the sequence formula
00:38 Properly expand brackets, multiply by each factor
00:46 Continue solving
00:54 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 first term a1 a_1 of the sequence.
  • Step 2: Determine the common difference d d .
  • Step 3: Use the formula for the n n -th term of an arithmetic sequence.

Let's work through each step:

Step 1: The first term a1 a_1 of the sequence is 2.

Step 2: The common difference d d is calculated by subtracting the first term from the second term: 102=8 10 - 2 = 8 .

Step 3: Apply the formula for the n n -th term of an arithmetic sequence:
The formula is an=a1+(n1)d a_n = a_1 + (n-1) \cdot d .
Substitute a1=2 a_1 = 2 and d=8 d = 8 into the formula:

an=2+(n1)8 a_n = 2 + (n-1) \cdot 8

Simplify this expression:
an=2+8n8=8n6 a_n = 2 + 8n - 8 = 8n - 6

Therefore, the term-to-term rule for the sequence is 8n6 8n - 6 .

Answer

8n6 8n-6