MATHEMATICS 10

- Sir Marvelous Villafania

Finding the nth
term of an
Arithmetic
Sequence
Example:
Find the 15 term of
th

the arithmetic
sequence
16, 20, 24, 28, 32, …
 Solution:
Note that
a1 = 16, d = 20 – 16 = 4,
n =15
an = a1 + (n – 1)d
a15 = 16 + (15 – 1)4
= 16 + 14(4)
=
72
Example:
In the arithmetic
sequence
6, 12, 18, 24, 30, … ,
which term is 120?
In the Solution:
Find n when an = 120
Let a1 = 6, d = 6, and
an = 120
an = a1 + (n – 1)d
120 = 6 + (n – 1)6
120 = 6 + 6n –6
120 = 6n
n = 20
Example:
Find the 18th term of the
arithmetic sequence which
first term is 11 and which
seventh term is 59.
 Solution:
Find the common difference,
d, by substituting a1 = 11 and
a7 = 59 into the formula
an = a1 + (n – 1)d.
a7 = a1 + (7 – 1)d
59 = 11 + (7 – 1)d
59 = 11 + 6d
48 = 6d
d=8
Find a18 by substituting
a1 = 11 and d = 8 in
an = a1 + (n – 1)d
a18 = 11 + (18 – 1)8
a18 = 11 + 136
a18 = 147
 Thank You
For Listening!
SUM OF THE FIRST N TERMS
OF AN ARITHMETIC
SEQUENCE
 Given an arithmetic
sequence where a1 is
the first term and an is

the nth term, the sum

of the first n terms is
given by:
Sn = (a1 + an)
 Example:
Find the sum of the following:
first 25 terms of the arithmetic

sequence 18, 23, 28, 33, 38, …

Solution:
an = a1 + (n – 1)d
a25 = 18 + (25 – 1)5
= 18 + 24(5)
= 18 + 120
= 138
Solve for S25:
Sn = (a1 + an)
S25 = (18 + 138)
= 1,950

Therefore the sum of the

first 25 terms of the
arithmetic sequence is
1,950
 Example:
Find the sum of the following:
first 50 terms of the arithmetic
sequence if the first term is 21
and the 20th term is 154.
Solve for d using the formula
an = a1 + (n – 1)d
a20 = a1 + (n – 1)d
154 = 21 + (20 – 1)d
154 = 21 + 19d
154 = 19d
 Find a50 :
a50 = 21 + (50 – 1)7
= 21 + 343
= 364
Thus,
S50 = (21 + 364)
= 25(385)
= 9,625

Therefore, the sum of the first 50

terms is 9,625
Example:
Find the sum of the first 18
terms of the arithmetic
sequence which general
term is an = 15 + 8n
 Solve for a1 and a18:
a1 = 15 + 8(1) = 15+18 = 23
a18 = 15+8(18) = 15+144 = 159
 
Find S18 :
Sn = (a1 + an)
S18 = (23 + 159)
= 9(182)
= 1,638
 Thank You
For Listening!