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Section 8.2
Section 8.2
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Arithmetic Sequences
A sequence whose consecutive terms have a common difference
is called an arithmetic sequence.
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Example 1 – Examples of Arithmetic Sequences
4n + 3
is arithmetic.
Begin with n = 1.
7, 11, 15, 19, . . . , 4n + 3, . . .
11 – 7 = 4
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Example 1 – Examples of Arithmetic Sequences cont’d
7 – 5n
is arithmetic.
–3 – 2 = –5
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Example 1 – Examples of Arithmetic Sequences cont’d
is arithmetic.
Begin with n = 1.
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Arithmetic Sequences
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The Sum of a Finite
Arithmetic Sequence
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The Sum of a Finite Arithmetic Sequence
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Example 5 – Finding the Sum of a Finite Arithmetic Sequence
Solution:
To begin, notice that the sequence is arithmetic (with a
common difference of 2). Moreover, the sequence has 10
terms. So, the sum of the sequence is
Sn = 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 + 11 + 13 + 15 + 17 + 19
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Example 5 – Solution cont’d
Simplify.
= 5(20)
= 100.
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The Sum of a Finite Arithmetic Sequence
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Applications
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Example 7 – Total Sales
A small business sells $20,000 worth of sports memorabilia
during its first year. The owner of the business has set a
goal of increasing annual sales by $15,000 each year for
19 years. Assuming that this goal is met, find the total sales
during the first 20 years this business is in operation.
Solution:
The annual sales form an arithmetic sequence in which
a1 = 20000 and d = 15,000. So,
an = 20,000 + 15,000(n – 1)
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Example 7 – Solution cont’d
an = 15,000n + 5000.
= 300,000 + 5000
= 305,000.
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Example 7 – Solution cont’d
Substitute 20 for n,
20,000 for a1, and
305,000 for an.
= 10(325,000) Simplify.
= 3,250,000. Simplify.
So, the total sales for the first 20 years are $3,250,000.
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