Answer:
-1636
Explanation:
We are given the first three terms of an arithmetic sequence with a common difference of d.
To find the 97th term, we need to find the value of the 96th term, since we start counting from the first term.
Let's use the formula for the nth term of an arithmetic sequence:
an = a1 + (n-1)d
where an is the nth term, a1 is the first term, n is the number of terms, and d is the common difference.
Using the formula with the first two terms, we can find the common difference:
a2 = a1 + d
-21 = -4 + d
d = -17
Now we can find the 96th term:
a96 = -4 + (96-1)(-17)
a96 = -4 - 1615
a96 = -1619
Therefore, the 97th term of the sequence is:
a97 = -4 + (97-1)(-17)
a97 = -4 - 1632
a97 = -1636