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Find an explicit formula for the nth term of the sequence, assuming the sequence starts at n = 1. The sequence is {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, …}.

User Ravon
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The explicit formula for the nth term of the sequence {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, …} is an = n², as the sequence consists of perfect squares where each term is the square of its position number (n).

Step-by-step explanation:

The sequence given is {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, …}, and when looking for an explicit formula for the nth term of a sequence, we want to find an expression that allows us to determine the value of any term by substituting the position number of the term (n) into the formula.

Observing the sequence, we can see that the nth term is simply the square of n (n²).

This pattern holds because the sequence consists of perfect squares: 1 (=1²), 4 (=2²), 9 (=3²), 16 (=4²), and so on.

Therefore, the explicit formula for the nth term of the sequence is an = n².

User Slayernoah
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