Sequences of numbers that follow a pattern of adding a fixed number from one term to the

next are called arithmetic sequences. The following sequences are arithmetic sequences:

Sequence A: 5 , 8 , 11 , 14 , 17 , ...
Sequence B: 26 , 31 , 36 , 41 , 46 , ...
Sequence C: 20 , 18 , 16 , 14 , 12 , ...

Arithmetic sequence
Before talking about arithmetic sequence, in math, a sequence is a set of numbers that follow a pattern. We
call each number in the sequence a term.

For examples, the following are sequences:

1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, .......

70, 62, 54, 48, 40, ...............

An arithmetic sequence is a sequence where each term is found by adding or subtracting the same value
from one term to the next. We call this value "common sum" or "common difference"

Looking at 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, ......., carefully helps us to make the following observation:

As you can see, each term is found by adding 3, a common sum to the previous term

Looking at 70, 62, 54, 46, 38, ...............carefully helps us to make the following observation:

This time, to find each term, we subtract 8, a common difference from the previous term

Many arithmetic sequences can me modeled with an algebraic expression

Here is the trick or recipe per se!

Let us try to model 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, .......

Let n represent any term number in the sequence

The number we add to each term is 3

The number that comes right before 1 in the sequence is -2

We can therefore model the sequence with the following formula:
3 × n + -2

Check:

When n = 1, which represents the first term, we get 3 × 1 + -2 = 3 + -2 = 1

When n = 2, which represents the second term, we get 3 × 2 + -2 = 6 + -2 = 4

Let us try to model 70, 62, 54, 46, 38, ...............

Let n represent any term number in the sequence

The number we subtract to each term is -8

The number that comes right before 70 in the sequence is 78

We can therefore model the sequence with the following formula:

-8× n + 78

Check:

When n = 1, which represents the first term, we get -8 × 1 + 78 = -8 + 78 = 70

When n = 2, which represents the second term, we get -8 × 2 + 78 = -16 + 78 = 62

Fun math game: Destroy numbered balls by adding to 10

Formula:
or

Example 3 + 7 + 11 + 15 + ··· + 99 has a1 = 3 and d = 4. To find n, use theexplicit

: formula for an arithmetic sequence.

We solve 3 + (n – 1)·4 = 99 to get n = 25.

or

Arithmetic Series

The sum of an indicated numbers of terms in a

sequence is called a Series. The series obtained by
adding the terms of an arithmetic progression is
called Arithmetic Series.
For example, the sum of the first seven terms of

the sequence is the series,

The above series is also named as the partial sum of

the sequence .
If the numbers of terms in a series is finite, then
the series is called a finite series, while a series consisting
of an unlimited numbers of terms is termed as an infinite
series.

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Arithmetic Series (page 4 of 5)

Sections: Terminology and notation, Basic examples, Arithmetic and geometric
sequences, Arithmetic series, Finite and infinite geometric series

An arithmetic series is the sum of an arithmetic sequence. A geometric series is

the sum of a geometric sequence. There are other types of series, but you're
unlikely to work with them until you're in calculus. For now, you'll probably just
work with these two.
For reasons that will be explained in calculus, you can only take the partial sum
of an arithmetic sequence. The "partial" sum is the sum of a limited (that is to
say, finite) number of terms, like the first ten terms, or the fifth through the
hundredth terms.
The formula for the first n terms of an arithmetic sequence, starting with n =
1, is:

The sum is, in effect, n times the "average" of the first and last terms. This sum
of the first n terms is called "the n-th partial sum". (By the way: The above
summation formula can be proved usinginduction.)

Geometric sequence
Before talking about geometric sequence, in math, a sequence is a set of
numbers that follow a pattern. We call each number in the sequence a
term.

For examples, the following are sequences:

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, .......

243, 81, 27, 9, 3, 1, ...............

A geometric sequence is a sequence where each term is found by

multiplying or dividing the same value from one term to the next. We call
this value "common ratio"

Looking at 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, ......., carefully helps us to make the following
observation:

As you can see, each term is found by multiplying 2, a common ratio to the
previous term

Notice that we have to add 2 to the first term to get the second term, but we
have to add 4 to the second term to get 8. This shows indeed that this
sequence is not created by adding or subtracting a common term

Looking at 243, 81, 27, 9, 3, 1, ...............carefully helps us to make the

following observation:

This time, to find each term, we divide by 3, a common ratio, from the
previous term

Many geometric sequences can me modeled with an exponential function

an exponential function is a function of the form an where a ? 1

Here is the trick or recipe per se!

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, .......

Let n represent any term number in the sequence

Observe that the terms of the sequence can be written as 21, 22, 23, ...

We can therefore model the sequence with the following formula: 2n

Check:
When n = 1, which represents the first term, we get 21 = 2

When n = 2, which represents the second term, we get 22 = 2 × 2 = 4

Let us try to model 243, 81, 27, 9, 3, 1, ...............

Let n represent any term number in the sequence

Observe that the terms of the sequence can be written as 35, 34, 33, ...

We just have to model the sequence: 5, 4, 3, .....

The process will be briefly explained here. For detailed explanation,

see arithmetic sequence

The number we subtract to each term is 1

The number that comes right before 5 in the sequence is 6

We can therefore model the sequence with the following formula:

-1× n + 6

We can therefore model 243, 81, 27, 9, 3, 1, ............... with the exponential
function below:

3-n + 6

Check:

When n = 1, which represents the first term, we get 3-1 + 6= 35 = 243

When n = 2, which represents the second term, we get 3-2 + 6= 34 = 81

In mathematics, a geometric series is a series with a constant ratio

between successive terms. For example, the series

is geometric, because each term except the first can be obtained by

multiplying the previous term by .

Geometric series are one of the simplest examples of infinite

series with finite sums. Historically, geometric series played an
important role in the early development of calculus, and they
continue to be central in the study of convergence of series.
Geometric series are used throughout mathematics, and they have
important applications
in physics, engineering, biology, economics,computer
science, queueing theory, and finance.