Arithmetic & Geometric Progressions

1. In a construction company a truck delivers materials from a base. After

depositing each load, the truck returns the base to collect next load. The first
load is deposited 200m from the base, the second 350m from the base, the
third 500m from the base. Each subsequent load is deposited 150m from the
previous one.
a. How far is the fifteenth load deposited from the base?
b. How many loads are deposited along the total length of the 5km
expressway?

2.









A simple instrument has many strings, attached as shown in the diagram. The
difference between the lengths of adjacent strings is a constant, so that the
lengths of the string are the terms of an arithmetic series.
The shortest string is 30cm long and the longest string is 50cm. The sum of
the lengths of all the strings is 1240cm.
a. Find the number of strings.
b. Find the difference in length between adjacent strings.

3.











A venetian blind consist of twenty-five slats, each 3mm thick. When the blind is
down, the gap between the top slat and the top of blind is 27mm and the gap
between adjacent slats is also 27mm, as shown in the diagram.
When the blind is up, all the slats are stacked at the top with no gaps, as shown in
the second diagram.
a. Show that when the blind is raised, the bottom slat rises 675mm.
b. How far does the slat rise?
c. Explain briefly why the distance the slat rise form an arithmetic
sequence.
d. Find the sum of all the distances that the slats rise when the blind is
raised.

4. A ball is dropped from a height of 2m onto a hard floor and bounces. After
each bounce, the maximum height reached by the ball is 75% of the previous
maximum height. Thus, after it first hits the floor, it reaches a height of 1.5m
before falling again, and after the second bounce, it reaches a height of 1.25m
before falling again.
a. What is the maximum height reached after the third bounce?
b. What kind of sequence is formed by the successive maximum heights?
c. What is the total distance travelled by the ball from the time it was
first dropped until it eventually comes to rest on the floor?

Arithmetic & Geometric Progressions

5.










A logo is made of 20 squares with a common corner, as shown in the
diagram. The odd numbered stripes between successive square are shaded in
the diagram. The shaded stripes are painted in gold paint, which costs $9 per
square cm.
The side length of the n
th
square is (2n+4)cm. The nth stripe lies between the
n
th
square and (n+1)
th
square.
a. Show that the area of the nth stripe is (8n+20)cm
2
.
b. Hence find the area of first and last stripes.
c. Hence find the total cost of the gold paint for the logo.
6. Consider the following sequence of numbers:
2; 5; 2; 9; 2; 13; 2; 17;.
a. Write down the next two terms of the sequence, given that the pattern
continues.
b. Calculate the sum of the first 100 terms of the sequence.
7. The series 1 x
2
+ x
4
............. + x
4n
has 2n+1 terms.
a. Explain why 1 x
2
+ x
4
............. + x
4n

1+ x
4n+2
1+ x
2
.
b. Hence show that
1
1+ x
2
1 x
2
+ x
4
............. + x
4n

1
1+ x
2
+ x
4n+2

8. The third term of an AP is 32 and the sixth term is 17.
a. Find the common difference
b. Find the sum of the first 10 terms.
9. The first term of a geometric series is 16 and the fourth term is
1
4
.
a. Find the common ratio.
b. Find the limiting sum of the series.
10. Consider the sequence: 5, 18, 37, 62, 93, .
a. If the sequence behave consistently, determine the next TWO terms of
the sequence.
b. Calculate a formula for n
th
term of the sequence.
c. Which term of the sequence is 1278?

11.







In the patterns above each consecutive pattern has more shaded squares
than the previous one. The area of the shaded portion of the first pattern is
1
4
square units. Assume that the pattern behaves consistently, as shown
above.
a. The shaded area in pattern 2 is
1
4
+
3
16
. Write down the area of the
shaded portion of patterns 3 and 4.
Arithmetic & Geometric Progressions

b. Write down the area of the shaded portion of the nth pattern in sigma
notation.
c. If the pattern continues without end, what does the area in part (b)
approach?
12. a. Calculate how many of the first 200 natural numbers are multiple of 7.
b. Calculate the sum of all natural numbers less than or equal to 200,
excluding those that are multiple of 7.
13. The sum of the first and second terms of an infinite geometric series is 11.
The sum to infinity is 36 and the common ratio is r.
a. A candidate guesses that the value of r is equal to 2. Explain, without
any calculations, why this guess must be correct.
b. Calculate the possible value of r.
14. A ball falls from a height of 10m, bounces up 6m and continues to bounce up
3
5
of the height of its previous bounce. Calculate after how many bounces the
height reached by the ball will be less than 1 cm.
15. Given the following arithmetic series: 2 + 7+ 12 + 17 + 22 + 27 + 32.
a. Determine the general n
th
term of the series.
b. write the series in sigma notation.
16. Prove that the sum to n terms of an arithmetic series with first term a and
common difference d is given by S
n

n
2
2a+ n 1
( )
d

.
17. A fitness test requires atheletes to repeatedly run a distance of 20m. They
complete the distance 5 times in the first minute, 6 times in the second
minute and 7 times in the third minute. They continue in this manner,
increasing the number of repetition by 1 in each successive minute. Calculate
after how many minutes the atheletes will have run a total of 2200 metres.
18. The first three terms of a geometric series are m+2, m and 2m-3.
a. Calculate the values of m.
b. Determine the value of m for which the series converges.
c. Write first three terms of the convergent series.
d. Calculate the sum of infinity of the convergent series.
19. The first term of a geometric series is 1 and the common ration is 3. Calculate
the samllest value of n for which the sum of the first n terms is greater than
100000. Show the necessary calculations.
20. Given that T
k
n
3
k1
n

where T
k
is the k
th
term of the series. Calculate the 4
th

term of the series.
21. A store offers a loan of $5000 on a computer for which it charges interest at
the rate of 1% per month. As a sepcial deal, the store does not charge interest
for the first three months however, the first repayment is due at the end of
the first month.
A customer takes out the loan and agrees to repay the loan over three years
by making 36 equal monthly repayments of $M.
Let $An be the amount owing at the end of the nth repayment.
a. Find an expression for A3.
b. Show that A
5
5000 3M
( )
1.01
2
M 1+1.01
( )
.
c. Find an expression for A36.
d. Find the value of M