Determine the Pattern: What is the Rule for the Sequence 60, 50, 40, 30?

Question

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

60, 50, 40, 30, ...

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Find the sequence formula
00:04 Identify the first term according to the given data
00:10 Notice the constant difference between terms
00:19 This is the constant difference
00:23 Use the formula to describe an arithmetic sequence
00:33 Substitute appropriate values and solve to find the sequence formula
00:42 Expand brackets properly, multiply by each factor
00:50 Continue solving
01:00 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 common difference between the terms.
  • Step 2: Use the formula for an arithmetic sequence to find the general formula for the nth term.

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 d d 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 an a_n can be expressed as an=a1+(n1)d a_n = a_1 + (n-1)d , where a1 a_1 is the initial term and d d is the common difference.
Here, a1=60 a_1 = 60 and d=10 d = -10 . Plugging these into the formula, we have:
an=60+(n1)(10) a_n = 60 + (n-1)(-10)
Simplifying the expression:
an=6010n+10 a_n = 60 - 10n + 10
an=7010n a_n = 70 - 10n
Thus, the nth term is an=10n+70 a_n = -10n + 70 .

Therefore, the term-to-term rule for this sequence is 10n+70 -10n + 70 , which matches the correct answer choice 10n+70 \boxed{-10n + 70} .

Answer

10n+70 -10n+70