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Example: Finding the First Term and Common Difference Given Two Terms
Find the first term and common difference of an arithmetic sequence whose fifth term is 19 and whose eleventh term is 37, and give the formula for the general term.
Because two terms are known but neither nor is given, substitute each piece of information into the general term formula to build a system of two equations.
Write the equations using and :
Simplify:
To eliminate , multiply the first equation by and add the two equations:
Adding gives , so .
Substitute back into :
Now write the general term using and :
The first term is and the common difference is . The general term of the sequence is .
This example demonstrates how knowing any two terms of an arithmetic sequence — even when neither nor is given directly — is enough to recover both values by setting up and solving a system of linear equations derived from the general term formula.
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Intermediate Algebra @ OpenStax
Ch.12 Sequences, Series and Binomial Theorem - Intermediate Algebra @ OpenStax
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Example: Finding the Fifteenth Term of an Arithmetic Sequence
Example: Finding a Term Given Another Term and the Common Difference
Example: Finding the First Term and Common Difference Given Two Terms
In a technician certification program, a trainee's daily repair target follows an arithmetic sequence. Match each component of the general term formula, , with its correct meaning in this professional training context.
A production supervisor uses an arithmetic sequence to plan a gradual increase in daily output at a manufacturing plant. To find the specific output target for any given day (), the supervisor must apply the general term formula. If represents the output on the first day and represents the constant daily increase, which formula correctly calculates the target for day ?
A corporate trainer is scheduling a series of webinars where the number of participants increases by a constant amount each session, forming an arithmetic sequence. To calculate the number of participants for any session , the trainer uses the general term formula . Is it true or false that the component in this formula represents the total number of times the daily increase is added to the first session's count ?
Formula for Projecting Daily Production
A quality control inspector tracks a machine's output, which increases following an arithmetic sequence. Based on the logical pattern used to derive the general term formula, , arrange the following expressions for the first four terms of the sequence in their correct order, starting with the first term.
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An operations manager is calculating the projected growth of a service center's daily calls, which follows an arithmetic sequence. Match each component of the problem-solving process with its correct definition or purpose based on the standard method for finding the first term and common difference when given two terms.
As an inventory manager, you observe that a specific product's stock decreases by a constant amount each week, forming an arithmetic sequence. You have the stock records for Week 5 and Week 11, but the initial stock and the exact weekly decrease are missing. Arrange the mathematical steps from memory to determine the first term () and the common difference ().
A manufacturing supervisor is tracking the ramp-up of a new production line. The daily output follows an arithmetic sequence. On Day 5, the output was 400 units, and on Day 13, the output was 1040 units. Which of the following systems of equations correctly represents the substitution of these values into the formula to find the initial output () and the daily increase ()?
A warehouse supervisor is tracking the number of shipments processed each day, which follows an arithmetic sequence. On Day 4, the warehouse processed 15 shipments, and on Day 9, it processed 30 shipments. To determine the initial shipments () and the daily increase (), the supervisor substitutes the values for Day 9 () into the general term formula . In the simplified equation , the value of the coefficient is ____.
In a professional growth model where monthly sales follow an arithmetic sequence, if a manager knows the sales figures for Month 4 and Month 10 but does not know the initial sales () or the monthly growth (), they can determine both values by substituting the known data into the general term formula to create and solve a system of two linear equations.