Find the Term-to-Term Rule: Sequence 51,47,43,39

Question

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

51,47,43,39 51,47,43,39\ldots

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Find the sequence formula
00:03 Let's look at the constant difference between each term
00:13 Let's pay attention to the first term

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine the term-to-term rule for this sequence, we need to identify the pattern of change between terms. In this sequence, each term is obtained by subtracting 4 from the previous term:

  • The first term is 51.
  • The second term is 47, which is 51 - 4.
  • The third term is 43, which is 47 - 4.
  • The fourth term is 39, which is 43 - 4.

Thus, the common difference, dd, between consecutive terms is 4-4.

We can use the formula for the nn-th term of an arithmetic sequence:

an=a1+(n1)×d a_n = a_1 + (n-1) \times d

Here, a1=51a_1 = 51 and d=4d = -4. Substituting these into the formula gives:

an=51+(n1)×(4) a_n = 51 + (n-1) \times (-4)

Expanding this equation, we have:

an=514(n1) a_n = 51 - 4(n-1)

Simplifying, we get:

an=514n+4 a_n = 51 - 4n + 4

an=554n a_n = 55 - 4n

Therefore, the term-to-term rule for this sequence is an=554n a_n = 55 - 4n .

Answer

an=554n an=55-4n