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Which of the following is not an arithmetic sequence?

A) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ...
B) 3, 9, 27, 81, ...
C) 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, ...
D) 13, 2, -9, -20, -31 ...

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Option B (3, 9, 27, 81, ...) is not an arithmetic sequence; it is a geometric sequence because the ratio between consecutive terms is a constant multiplier of 3. All other options are arithmetic sequences with a constant difference between terms.

Step-by-step explanation:

An arithmetic sequence is a sequence of numbers with a constant difference between consecutive terms. Let's examine each option to determine which one is not an arithmetic sequence:

  • A) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ...: This is an arithmetic sequence because the difference between each term is consistently 1.
  • B) 3, 9, 27, 81, ...: This is not an arithmetic sequence; it's actually a geometric sequence because each term is multiplied by 3 to obtain the next term (common ratio is 3).
  • C) 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, ...: This is an arithmetic sequence with a common difference of 0.5.
  • D) 13, 2, -9, -20, -31 ...: This is an arithmetic sequence with a common difference of -11.

Therefore, the sequence that is not arithmetic is Option B, which is a geometric sequence.

User Mark Roper
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