What is the term-to-term rule of the following sequence?
60, 50, 40, 30, ...
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What is the term-to-term rule of the following sequence?
60, 50, 40, 30, ...
To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:
Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: Observe the difference between consecutive terms:
- The difference between the first and second terms (60 - 50) is 10.
- The difference between the second and third terms (50 - 40) is also 10.
- Similarly, the difference remains constant at 10 for the remaining terms (40 - 30 = 10).
Thus, the common difference is -10, as the terms are decreasing by 10 each time.
Step 2: Use the formula for an arithmetic sequence:
The nth term of an arithmetic sequence can be expressed as , where is the initial term and is the common difference.
Here, and . Plugging these into the formula, we have:
Simplifying the expression:
Thus, the nth term is .
Therefore, the term-to-term rule for this sequence is , which matches the correct answer choice .
Look at the following set of numbers and determine if there is any property, if so, what is it?
\( 94,96,98,100,102,104 \)
Look at the pattern! If terms are getting smaller (like 60, 50, 40), the common difference is negative. If terms are getting larger, it's positive.
Both expressions are mathematically identical! -10n + 70 = 70 - 10n. The answer choices use the first form, so that's what we match.
The variable n represents the position of the term in the sequence. For example, n=1 gives the 1st term (60), n=2 gives the 2nd term (50), and so on.
Test it with the given terms! Substitute n=1, n=2, n=3 into your formula. If you get 60, 50, 40 respectively, your formula is correct!
a₁ is always the first term in the sequence. In this problem, a₁ = 60 because that's the first number we see: 60, 50, 40, 30...
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