7.

ARITHMETIC PROGRESSION
n Sequence, series & progression
l Sequence : A sequence is an ordered arrangement of numbers according to a given rule.
l Terms of a sequence : The terms of a sequence in successive order is denoted by 'T' n or 'a'n. The nth term 'T'n
is called the general term of the sequence.
l Series: The sum of terms of a sequence is called the series of the corresponding sequence. T1 + T2 + T3 +....
is an infinite series, where as T1 + T2 + T3 + ... + Tn–1 + Tn is a finite series of n terms.
Usually the series of finite number of n terms is denoted by Sn.
Sn = T1 + T2 + T3 + ... + Tn – 2 + Tn – 1 + Tn
Sn–1 = T1 + T2 + T3 + ... + Tn – 2 + Tn – 1

Sn – Sn–1 = Tn OR Tn = Sn – Sn–1

l Progression : The sequence that follows a certain pattern is called a progression. Thus, the sequence 2, 3, 5,
7, 11,.... is not a progression.

n Arithmetic progressions
An arithmetic progression is that list of numbers in which the first term is given and each term, other than the first term
is obtained by adding a fixed number 'd' to the preceding term.
The fixed term 'd' is known as the common difference of the arithmetic progression. It's value can be positive,
negative or zero. The first term is denoted by 'a' or 'a1' and the last term by 'l'.
l Symbolical form : Let us denote the first term of an AP by a 1, second term by a2, .... nth term by an and the
common difference by d. Then the AP becomes a1, a2, a3,....,an. So, a2 – a1 = a3 – a2 = ... = an – an–1 = d.
l General form : In general form, an arithmetic progression with first term 'a' and common difference 'd' can be
represented as follows :
a, a + d, a + 2d, a + 3d, a + 4d,....
l Finite AP : An AP in which there are only a finite number of terms is called a finite AP . It may be noted that
each such AP has a last term.

l General term of an arithmetic progression

The nth term of an arithmetic progression is
an = a + (n – 1)d
Where, a is the first term of arithmetic progression,
and d is the common difference of arithmetic progression.

l rth term of a finite arithmetic progression from the end

Let there be an arithmetic progression with first term a and common difference d. If there are n terms in the
arithmetic progression, then

r th term from the end = a + (n – r)d

Also, if l is the last term of the arithmetic progression then rth term from the end is the rth term of an arithmetic
progression whose first term is l and common difference is – d.
rth term from the end = l + (r – 1) (– d)
 n
} In the formula Sn = [2a + (n – 1) d], there are four quantities viz. S n, a, n and d. If any three of these are
2
known, the fourth can be determined. Sometimes, two of these quantities are given. In such a case, remaining

two quantities are provided by some other relation.

} If the sum Sn of n terms of a sequence is given, then n th term an of the sequence can be determined by using

the following formula : a n = S n – S n–1

i.e., the nth term of an AP is the difference of the sum to first n terms and the sum to first (n –1) terms of it.

n Selection of terms in an AP

Number Terms Common

of terms difference
3 a – d, a, a + d d
4 a – 3d, a – d, a + d, a + 3d 2d
5 a – 2d, a – d, a, a + d, a + 2d d
6 a – 5d, a – 3d, a – d, a + d, a + 3d, a + 5d 2d

It should be noted that in case of an odd number of terms, the middle term is a and the common difference is d
while in case of an even number of terms the middle terms are a – d, a + d and the common difference is 2d.

} If the sum of terms is not given, then select terms as a, a + d, a + 2d,....

} If three numbers a, b, c in order are in AP. Then

b – a = Common difference = c – b

Þ b–a=c–b

Þ 2b = a + c

Thus, a,b,c are in AP if and only if 2b = a + c

} If a,b,c are in AP, then b is known as the arithmetic mean (AM) between a and c.

a+b
} If a, x, b are in AP Then, 2x = a + b Þ x =
2
a+b
Thus, AM between a and b is .
2
l Points to remember

} If a constant is added to or subtracted from each term of an A.P., then the resulting sequence is also an A.P.
with the same common difference.

} If each term of a given A.P. is multiplied or divided by a non-zero constant K, then the resulting sequence is
also an A.P. with common difference Kd or d/K, where d is the common difference of the given A.P.

} In a finite A.P., the sum of the terms equidistant from the beginning and end is always same and is equal to
the sum of first and last term.
} A sequence is an A.P. iff it's nth term is a linear expression in n i.e., a n = An + B, where A, B are constants.
In such a case, the coefficient of n is the common difference of the A.P.

} A sequence is an A.P. iff the sum of it's first n terms is of the form An2 + Bn, where A,B are constants
independent of n. In such a case, the common difference is 2 A.

} If the terms of an A.P. are choosen at regular intervals, then they form an A.P.

} The sum of Ist n odd natural no.s = n2

} The sum of Ist n even natural no.s = n(n+1)

} The sum of first n natural numbers i.e. 1 + 2 + 3 +....+ n is usually written as Sn.

n(n +1)
ån =
2

} The sum of squares of first n natural numbers i.e. 12 + 22 + 32 + ... + n2 is usually written as Sn2.

n(n +1) (2n +1)

ån 2
=
6

} The sum of cubes of first n natural numbers i.e. 13 + 23 + 33 + ... + n3 is usually written as Sn3.

2
æ n(n +1) ö
å n3 = çè 2 ÷ø = (Sn)2

} A sequence of non-zero numbers a1, a2, a3,...,an is said to be a geometric sequence or G.P.

a2 a 3 a 4 a n+1
iff a = a = a = .... i.e. iff a = a constant for all n.
1 2 3 n

e.g., 3, 9, 27, 81,....

ARITHMETIC PROGRESSION EXERCISE
1. If the sides of a right triangle are in A.P., then the 10. If a, b, c are in A.P. then :-
ratio of its smallest side to the greatest side is :- (1) the equation (b – c) x2 + (c – a) x + (a – b) = 0,
(1) 3 : 4 (2) 3 : 5 (3) 4 : 5 (4) None b ¹ c has equal roots
2. Given that n A.M.'s are inserted between two sets (2) a2, b2, c2 are in A.P.
of numbers a, 2b and 2a, b, where a, b Î R. If the
(3) la + µ, lb + µ, lc + µ are in A.P., l, µ Î R
mth means in the two cases are same then ratio a :
(4) None of these
b is equal to :-
11. The sums of first n terms of two A.P.'s are in the
(1) n : (n – m + 1) (2) (n – m + 1) : m
ratio (3n + 8) : (7n + 15). The ratio of their 12th
(3) (n – m + 1) : n (4) m : (n – m + 1)
terms is :-
3. The next term of the sequence 9, 16, 27, 42, .........
is :- 4 7 3
(1) 53 (2) 61 (3) 57 (4) None (1) (2) (3) (4) None
9 16 7
4. Sum of first n terms of an A.P. is an(n – 1). The sum
12. The sum of n terms of a series is An 2 + Bn, then
of squares of these terms is :-
the nth term is :-
a2 2a 2 (1) A(2n – 1) – B (2) A(1 – 2n) + B
(1) n(n – 1) (2n – 1) (2) n(n + 1) (2n + 1)
6 3 (3) A(1 – 2n) – B (4) A(2n – 1) + B
13. In an A.P. sum of first p terms is equal to the sum of
2a 2
(3) a2n2(n – 1)2 (4) n(n – 1) (2n – 1) first q terms. Sum of it's first p + q terms is :-
3
(1) – (p + q) (2) p + q (3) 0 (4) None
5. The nth term of the series
1 1 14. 2, 6 , 4.5 are the following terms of an A.P..
1+ + + ... is :-
1+3 1+3+5
(1) 101st, 207th, 309th (2) 101st, 201st, 301st
2 1 (3) 2nd, 6th, 9th (4) None of these
(1) (2) 2 (3) n2 (4) None
n(n + 1) n
15. The sum of 40 A.M's between two numbers is 120.
6. If a, b, c, d, e, f are A.M.s between 2 and 12, then The sum of 50 A.M's between them is equal to :-
a + b + c + d + e + f is equal to :- (1) 130 (2) 160
(1) 14 (2) 84 (3) 42 (4) None
(3) 150 (4) None
7. The sum of all numbers from 1 to 1000 which are
16. The sum of first n terms of an A.P. whose last term
neither divisible by 2 nor by 5 is :-
is l and common difference is d is :-
(1) 200000 (2) 500500
n n
(3) 250000 (4) None of these (1) [2l + (n – 1) d] (2) [2l – (n – 1) d]
2 2
8. The n term of the sequence 2, 5, 11, 20, 32,
th

............. is :- n n
(3) [l + (n – 1) d] (4) [l – (n – 1) d]
2
3n + 3n - 4 2
3n - 3n + 4 2 2
(1) (2)
2 2 17. In an A.P., sum of first n terms is 2n2 + 3n, it's
2
3n + 3n + 4 common difference is :-
(3) (4) None of these
2 (1) 4 (2) 3
9. For the A.P. a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + .... + l of n (3) 2 (4) 6
terms :- 18. The number of terms common to the arithmetic
n n progressions 3, 7, 11, ......., 407 and 2, 9, 16,.....,
(1) Sn = (a + l) (2) Sn = {2a + (n–1) d}
2 2 709 is :-
n (l - a + d)(a + l ) (1) 51 (2) 14
(3) Sn = {2l – (n–1) d} (4) Sn =
2 2d (3) 21 (4) 28
 a n + bn 29. The sum of 3rd and 15th elements of an arithmetic
19. If be the arithmetic mean between a
a n -1 + b n -1 progression is equal to the sum of 6th, 11th and
and b, then the value of n is :- 13th elements of the same progression. Then which
1 element of the series should necessarily be equal to
(1) 1 (2) 0 (3) – (4) –1
2 zero ?
20. If the sum of first n terms of an A.P. is Pn + Qn2 (1) 1st (2) 9th
where P and Q are constants, then common
(3) 12th (4) None of these
difference of A.P. will be :-
30. A person pays Rs. 975 in monthly instalments, each
(1) P + Q (2) P – Q (3) 2P (4) 2Q
monthly instalment being less than the former by
21. If x, y, z are in A.P., then (x + y – z) (y + z – x) is Rs. 5. The amount of the first instalment is Rs. 100.
equal to :- In what tune, will the entire amount be paid ?
(1) 8xy + 3y2 – 4x2 (2) 8xy – 3y2 – 4x2 (1) 12 months (2) 26 months
(3) 8xy – 3x2 + 4y2 (4) 8xy – 3y2 + 4x2 (3) 15 months (4) 18 months
22. If an A.P., Sm : Sn :: m2 : n2. The ratio of the pth 31. Let Sn denote the sum of the first ‘n’ terms of an
term to qth term is :- A.P. S2n= 3Sn. Then, the ratio S3n/Sn is equal to
p-1 p 2p - 1
(1) (2) (3) (4) None (1) 4 (2) 6
q -1 q 2q - 1
(3) 8 (4) 10
23. If x, y, z are in A.P., then (x + 2y – z) (x + z – y)
32. If the nth term of an A.P. is 4n + 1, then the
(z + 2y – x) is equal to :-
common difference is
(1) xyz (2) 2xyz (3) 4xyz (4) None
n +1 n +1
(1) 3 (2) 4 (3) 5 (4) 6
a +b
24. The value of n, for which is the A.M. 33. 30 trees are planted in a straight line at intervals of
a + bn
n

between a and b is :- 5 m. To water them, the gardener needs to bring

water for each tree, separately from a well, which
1
(1) 0 (2) 1 (3) – (4) –1 is 10 m from the first tree in line with the trees. How
2
S kn far will he have to walk in order to water all the trees
25. For an A.P., is independent of n. The value of beginnings with the first tree ? Assume that he starts
Sn
d from the well.
for this A.P. is :-
a (1) 4785 m (2) 4795 m
(1) 1 (2) 2 (3) 3 (4) 4
(3) 4800 m (4) None of these
26. If S denotes the sum of first n terms of the A.P. a +
(a + d) + (a + 2d) + ....... whose nth term is l, then 3+5+7+.........+ n terms
34. If = 7, then the value of
the common 'd' of the A.P. is :- 5+ 8+11+......+10 terms
l-a l2 - a 2 n is
(1) (2)
n 2S - a + l (1) 35 (2) 36 (3) 37 (4) 40
l2 - a2
(3) (4) None of these 35. If the sum of first n natural numbers is one-fifth of
2S - (a + l)
the sum of their squares, then n is
27. For the A.P. x + (x + 1) + (x + 2) + ...... + y
(1) 5 (2) 6 (3) 7 (4) 8
(1) C. D. is 1
36. The sum of 12 terms of an A.P. whose first term is
(2) Numer of terms is y – x + 1
4, is 256. What is the last terms ?
y - x +1
(3) Sum of the series is (x + y) (1) 35 (2) 36
2
(4) None of these (3) 37 (4) 116/3
28. If the angles A < B < C of a triangle are in A.P. 37. Find the sum of all natural numbers not exceeding
then :- 1000, which are divisible by 4 but not by 8.
(1) c2 = a2 + b2 – ab (2) b2 = a2 + c2 – ac (1) 62500 (2) 62800
(3) c2 = a2 + b2 (4) None of these (3) 64000 (4) 65600
38. I open a book store with a number of books. On 42. A man arranged to pay off a debt of Rs.3600 in
the first day, I sell 1 book; on the second day, I sell 40 annual instalments which form an Arithmetical
2 books; on the third day, I sell 3 books and so on. Progression. When 30 of the instalments are paid,
At the end of the month (30 days). I realise that I he dies leaving one third of the debt unpaid. Find
sold the same number of books with which I started. the value of the 1 instalment is
Find the number of books in the beginning. (1) Rs.55 (2) Rs.53
(1) 365 (2) 420 (3) 465 (4) 501 (3) Rs.51 (4) Rs.49
39. There are two arithmetic progressions, A1 and A2, 43. Let a1, a2,.......a19 be the first 19 terms of an
whose first terms are 3 and 5 respectively and arithmetic pro gres sion whe re
whose common differences are 6 and 8 respectively. a1 +a 8 +a 12 +a 19 =224. The sum a 1 + a 2 + a 3
How many terms of the series are common in the +...+a19 is equal to
first n terms of A1 and A2, if the sum of the nth terms (1) 896 (2) 969
of A1 and A2 is equal to 6,000? (3) 1064 (4) 1120
(1) 103 (2) 107 (3) 109 (4) 113 44. How many multiples of 7 are there between 33 and
40. A club consists of members whose ages are in AP, 329 ?
the common difference being 3 months. If the (1) 43 (2) 35
youngest member of the club is just 7 years old and
(3) 329 (4) 77
the sum of the ages of all the members is 250 year,
then the number of members in the club are 4 9 16 25
45. The infinite sum 1 + + + + + .... equals
(1) 15 (2) 20 (3) 25 (4) 30 7 72 73 74
41. How many terms are there is an AP whose first and
27 21
fifth terms are –14 and 2 respectively and the sum (1) (2)
14 13
of terms is 40?
(1) 15 (2) 10 49 256
(3) (4)
(3) 5 (4) 20 27 147

ANSWER KEY
Que. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. 3 4 2 4 2 3 1 2 1,2,3,4 1,3 2 4 3 4 3 2 1 2 1
Que. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Ans. 2 3 3 1 3 3 1,2,3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 3 3 1 3 2
Que. 41 42 43 44 45
Ans. 2 3 3 1 3