Final answer:
The first five terms of the sequence defined by starting with 42 and subtracting 7 from each preceding term are 42, 35, 28, 21, and 14.
Step-by-step explanation:
The given sequence is defined by a1 = 42, and each subsequent term is found by subtracting 7 from the previous term, i.e., an = an− 1 − 7. To find the first five terms of this sequence, we start with the first term and apply the rule to find the succeeding terms.
First term (a1): 42
Second term (a2 = a1 − 7): 42 − 7 = 35
Third term (a3 = a2 − 7): 35 − 7 = 28
Fourth term (a4 = a3 − 7): 28 − 7 = 21
Fifth term (a5 = a4 − 7): 21 − 7 = 14
Therefore, the first five terms of the sequence are 42, 35, 28, 21, 14.