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The First and third term of geometric progression

are 5 and 80 respectively. What is the 4th term
of geometric progress.

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer:

±320

Explanation:

You want the 4th term of the geometric progression that has first and third terms 5 and 80.

Common ratio

The general term of a geometric sequence is ...

an = a1·r^(n-1)

for first term a1 and common ratio r.

We are given the 1st and 3rd terms, so we can find the common ratio from ...

80 = 5·r^(3-1) . . . . . use a3 = 80, a1 = 5, n = 3

16 = r^2 . . . . . . divide by 5

±4 = r . . . . . . . . take the square root

Fourth term

The 4th term will be the product of the 3rd term and the common ratio:

a4 = a3·(±4) = 80·(±4) = ±320

The fourth term is -320 or +320.

User Neil From Ohio
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