krit.club logo

Number and Algebra - Arithmetic sequences

Grade 12IB_AA

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

πŸ”‘Concepts

β€’

An arithmetic sequence is a sequence of numbers in which the difference between consecutive terms is constant. This constant is called the common difference, denoted by dd.

β€’

The first term of an arithmetic sequence is denoted as u1u_1 (or aa in some texts), and the nthn^{th} term is denoted as unu_n.

β€’

To find the common difference dd, subtract the nthn^{th} term from the (n+1)th(n+1)^{th} term: d=un+1βˆ’und = u_{n+1} - u_n.

β€’

The general term unu_n is a linear function of its position nn. If d>0d > 0, the sequence is increasing; if d<0d < 0, the sequence is decreasing.

β€’

An arithmetic series is the sum of the terms of an arithmetic sequence. The sum of the first nn terms is denoted by SnS_n.

πŸ“Formulae

un=u1+(nβˆ’1)du_n = u_1 + (n-1)d

Sn=n2(2u1+(nβˆ’1)d)S_n = \frac{n}{2}(2u_1 + (n-1)d)

Sn=n2(u1+un)S_n = \frac{n}{2}(u_1 + u_n)

πŸ’‘Examples

Problem 1:

Find the 25th25^{th} term of the arithmetic sequence 12,19,26,33,…12, 19, 26, 33, \dots

Solution:

u1=12u_1 = 12 d=19βˆ’12=7d = 19 - 12 = 7 n=25n = 25 Using un=u1+(nβˆ’1)du_n = u_1 + (n-1)d: u25=12+(25βˆ’1)Γ—7u_{25} = 12 + (25-1) \times 7 u25=12+24Γ—7u_{25} = 12 + 24 \times 7 u25=12+168=180u_{25} = 12 + 168 = 180

Explanation:

Identify the first term u1u_1 and calculate the common difference dd. Substitute these values into the general term formula for n=25n = 25.

Problem 2:

Calculate the sum of the first 4040 terms of an arithmetic sequence where the first term is 55 and the common difference is 33.

Solution:

u1=5u_1 = 5 d=3d = 3 n=40n = 40 Using Sn=n2(2u1+(nβˆ’1)d)S_n = \frac{n}{2}(2u_1 + (n-1)d) S40=402(2(5)+(40βˆ’1)(3))S_{40} = \frac{40}{2}(2(5) + (40-1)(3)) S40=20(10+39Γ—3)S_{40} = 20(10 + 39 \times 3) S40=20(10+117)S_{40} = 20(10 + 117) S40=20(127)=2540S_{40} = 20(127) = 2540

Explanation:

Use the arithmetic series formula. Substitute the known values u1u_1, dd, and nn to find the total sum.

Problem 3:

In an arithmetic sequence, the 4th4^{th} term is 1515 and the 10th10^{th} term is 3939. Find the first term u1u_1 and the common difference dd.

Solution:

We have two equations based on un=u1+(nβˆ’1)du_n = u_1 + (n-1)d:

  1. u4=u1+3d=15u_4 = u_1 + 3d = 15
  2. u10=u1+9d=39u_{10} = u_1 + 9d = 39 Subtract equation (1) from (2): (u1+9d)βˆ’(u1+3d)=39βˆ’15(u_1 + 9d) - (u_1 + 3d) = 39 - 15 6d=24β€…β€ŠβŸΉβ€…β€Šd=46d = 24 \implies d = 4 Substitute d=4d = 4 back into (1): u1+3(4)=15u_1 + 3(4) = 15 u1+12=15β€…β€ŠβŸΉβ€…β€Šu1=3u_1 + 12 = 15 \implies u_1 = 3

Explanation:

Create a system of linear equations using the general term formula for the given terms, then solve for u1u_1 and dd using elimination or substitution.