What is the term-to-term rule for the sequence below?
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What is the term-to-term rule for the sequence below?
To solve for the term-to-term rule of the sequence , follow these steps:
Step 1: Identify the First Term and Common Difference
The first term of the sequence is .
To find the common difference , subtract the first term from the second term: .
Thus, the common difference is .
Step 2: Derive the Formula for the -th Term
Since the sequence is arithmetic, use the general formula for an arithmetic sequence:
Substitute the known values, and :
Simplify the expression:
Combine like terms:
Step 3: Verify the Formula
Check the derived formula with the terms given in the sequence:
- For , (matches the first term).
- For , (matches the second term).
- For , (matches the third term).
Therefore, the term-to-term rule for the sequence is .
12 ☐ 10 ☐ 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Which numbers are missing from the sequence so that the sequence has a term-to-term rule?
Let's check both! For 3n+1: when n=1, we get 3(1)+1=4, but the first term is 2. For 3n-1: when n=1, we get 3(1)-1=2 ✓. Always substitute n=1 to check your formula!
Check if the difference between consecutive terms is constant. Here: 5-2=3 and 8-5=3. Since the common difference is always 3, this is arithmetic!
The n represents the position number of the term. So n=1 gives the 1st term, n=2 gives the 2nd term, and so on. It's like asking "what's the nth term in the sequence?"
Yes! You can also notice that each term is 3 times its position minus 1. But the standard method using is most reliable and works for all arithmetic sequences.
Test each option by substituting n=1, n=2, and n=3. The correct formula should give you 2, 5, and 8 respectively. This eliminates guesswork!
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