ARITHMETIC SEQUENCE

-A list of numbers having a specific relation between the consecutive terms

-The difference of two consecutive terms is a fixed number
-ex. 1,3,5,7,.. (common difference=2)
-The GENERAL FORMULA for an Arithmetic Sequence is:

An=a1+(n-1)d
Wherein:
An is the nth term of the sequence
a1 is the first term of the sequence
n is the number of terms
d is the common difference

EXAMPLE:
1.) Solve for the general term of the given sequence: 20,8,-4,-16,…
a1=20
d=-12
SOLUTION: An=20+(n-1)(-12)
An=20+(-12n)+12

ANSWER: An=-12n+32

2.) -10,-6,-2,2,…,a31=?
a1=-10
d=4
A31=?
n=31
SOLUTION: A31=-10+(31-1)4
A31=-10+(30)4
A31=-10+120

ANSWER: A31=110

3.) Josh spent P150 on August 1, P170 on August 2, P190 on August 3, and so on. How
much did Josh spend on August 31?
a1=150
d=20
A31=?
n=31
SOLUTION: A31=150+(31-1)20
A31=150+(30)20
A31=150+600
A31=750

ANSWER: Josh spent P750 on August 31.

PRACTICE (Arithmetic Sequences)

I. Identify if the statement is true and change the underlined word if false.

1. In the general form of an Arithmetic Sequence, d is the number of terms.

2. 3,6,9,12 is an example of an Arithmetic Sequence.
3. The common difference of the Arithmetic Sequence 1, 3/2, 2, 5/2,… is 2.
4. All Arithmetic Sequences have a common difference.
5. In the Arithmetic Sequence 5,7,9,11, a1 is 11.

II. Write the answer for the following:

6. Find the common difference in the arithmetic sequence 3, 13/4, 7/2, 15/4.
7. What is the nth term of the arithmetic sequence 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17,…?
8. Give the general term for the arithmetic sequence 6,8,10,12,14,16.
9. Find the 15th term of the sequence: 15, 10, 5, 0, -5,…, a15 .
10. The auditorium has 30 seats at the first row, 32 seats at the second row, 34 seats in the third
row, and so on. How many seats does the 10th row have?

GEOMETRIC SEQUENCE
• Geometric sequences are sequences that increase or decrease by multiplying the previous term by a
fixed number.
• This fixed number is called r or the common ratio

Formula:
General form of a geometric sequence: {a, ar, ar2, ar3, ... }

Example:
Find the 10th term. 10, 30, 90, 270, 810, 2430,…

The values of A1 and r are:

A1 = 10 (the first term) r = 3 (the common ratio)

The formula to be used:

Solve:
Worksheet:

__________ 1. What is the eleventh term of the geometric sequence 3, 6, 12, 24, ...?
A. 66 B. 768 C. 1,536 D. 3,072
__________ 2. What is the fifth term of the geometric sequence 7, 14, 28, ...?
A. 112 B. 72 C. 48 D. 56
__________ 3. Which of the following is a geometric sequence?
A. 2, 4, 5, … B. 10, 20, 200, … C. 2, 6, 18, … D. 2, 4, 6
__________ 4. In a geometric sequence, A1 = 5, and A6 = 160. What is the common ratio?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
__________ 5. Find the formula for the nth term of this geometric sequence: 10, 30, 90, 270, 810, …

D, A, C, A, B, D, C, D, A, B
A. B. C. D.

Answer Key:
__________ 6. Find the two geometric means: 8, ___, ___, 216.
A. 32 & 69 B. 11 & 22 C. 40 & 200 D. 24 & 72
__________ 7. Find the geometric mean: 3, ___, 108.
A. 36 B. 72 C. 18 D. 24
__________ 8. Find the sum of the two missing geometric means: 2, ___, ___, 54.
A. 36 B. 72 C. 18 D. 24
__________ 9. Jessie grows strawberries. The first year she planted 5 seeds. The next year she planted 15
seeds. The next year after that she planted 45. How many seeds will she plant in her 8th year?
A. 10,935 B. 7,210 C. 18,905 D. 2,450
__________ 10. Edwin saves ₱100 in January 2019, then ₱200 in February, then ₱400 in March, and so
on. How much will he save in December 2019?
A. 10,400 B. 204,800 C. 48,960 D. 200,450
 Harmonic Sequence

- A sequence of numbers where reciprocals form an arithmetic sequence.

Same arithmetic formula

Examples:

2 2/9 , 1 22/3 , 1 8/17

turn into improper fractions

25/9 , 25/3 , 25/17

reciprocate

9/25 , 3/25 , 17/25

common difference - 4/25

Finding indicated terms:
1. Find the 12th term of the harmonic sequence whose 1st term is 1/5 and the 7th
term is 1/75.

2. In the harmonic sequence 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, … which term is 1/2650?

3. Find the first term of a harmonic sequence whose fifth term is 1/28 and
whose thirtieth term is 1/178.

Fibonacci Sequence

- Leonardo Fibonacci
- The sequence in which each number is the sum of 2 preceding numbers
- The sequence goes: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on.

Formula: Fn = F2 - F1

Sample Problem:

1. If F32 = 3128 and F33 = 5279, what is F31?

So…
F31 = F33 - F32
F31 = 5279 – 3128
F31 = 2151
 Summation Notation
Often mathematical formulae require the addition of many variables Summation or sigma notation is a
convenient and simple form of shorthand used to give a concise expression for a sum of the values of a
variable.

Let x1, x2, x3, …xn denote a set of n numbers. x1 is the first number in the set. xi represents the ith
number in the set.

Summation notation involves:

"

The summation sign

This appears as the symbol, S, which is the Greek upper case letter, S. The summation sign, S, instructs us
to sum the elements of a sequence. A typical element of the sequence which is being summed appears to
the right of the summation sign.

The variable of summation, i.e. the variable which is being summed

The variable of summation is represented by an index which is placed beneath the summation sign. The
index is often represented by i. (Other common possibilities for representation of the index are j and t.)
The index appears as the expression i = 1. The index assumes values starting with the value on the right
hand side of the equation and ending with the value above the summation sign.

The starting point for the summation or the lower limit of the summation

The stopping point for the summation or the upper limit of summation

Some typical examples of summation

This expression means sum the values of x, starting at x1 and ending with xn.

This expression means sum the values of x, starting at x1 and ending with x10.

The limits of summation are often understood to mean i = 1 through n. Then the notation below
and above the summation sign is omitted. Therefore this expression means sum the values of x,
starting at x1 and ending with xn.
 (for nos. 3-5)
(for nos. 1 & 2)

(for nos. 6-9)

 Arithmetic and Geometric Series
An arithmetic series is the sum of the terms of an arithmetic sequence, meanwhile, a geometric series is
the sum of the terms of a geometric sequence.

Arithmetic Series Equations:

If the last term is given: If the last term is missing:
n
2
[2a1 + (n-1)d]

Geometric Series Equation:

Worksheet:

1. Evaluate

"

2. What is the sum of all the even integers between 2 and 250?

3. Find the sum of all the multiples of 4 between 1 and 999.

4. Find the sum of the first 20 terms of the arithmetic series if a1=5 and a20=62.

5. Find the sum of the first 40 terms of the arithmetic series 2+5+8+11+... .

6. S n = 244, r = –3, n = 5, a1 =?

7. Add up the first 10 terms of the Geometric Sequence that halves each time, where a1 =1/2

8. A grocery store display of soup cans has sixteen rows with each row having one less can than the
row below it. If the bottom row has twenty-eight cans, how many cans are in the display?

9. A ball is dropped from a table that is twenty-four inches high. The ball always rebounds three
fourths of the distance fallen. Approximately how far will the ball have traveled when it finally
comes to rest?

10. Vince went on a 3 day hiking trip. Each day, he walked ¾ the distance that he walked the day
before. He walked 83.25 kilometers total in the trip. How far did Vince walk on the 1st day of the
trip?