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Identify and correct the error a student made in identifying the common difference of the following sequence: 29, 22, 15, 8, 1...

a) The common difference is 7.
b) The common difference is 6.
c) The common difference is 8.
d) The common difference is 5.

User John Kane
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The arithmetic sequence given is 29, 22, 15, 8, 1 and the common difference is found by subtracting any term from the term that follows it, which in this case is consistently 7. Thus, the correct common difference is 7.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking to identify the common difference in a given arithmetic sequence. An arithmetic sequence is a sequence of numbers with a constant difference between consecutive terms. To find the common difference, we subtract any term from the term that follows it in the sequence.

Looking at the sequence: 29, 22, 15, 8, 1...

If we subtract the second term from the first term (22 from 29), we get a common difference of 7. However, if we apply this difference to the other terms, we can confirm its consistency:

29 - 22 = 7

22 - 15 = 7

15 - 8 = 7

8 - 1 = 7

Thus, every term is 7 less than the term before it. The correct answer is that the common difference is 7. Therefore, the correct choice is (a) The common difference is 7.

User Dimson
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