Question

A sequence is defined by the recursive formula f(n-1) = f(n) - 2. If f(1) = 18, what is f(5)?

Answer 1

To find f(5) with the recursive formula f(n-1) = f(n) - 2 and knowing that f(1) = 18, we calculate sequentially and find that f(5) is 26.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking to find f(5) given the recursive formula f(n-1) = f(n) - 2 and an initial condition f(1) = 18. To find f(5), we must work backwards from f(1) using the given recursive formula.

1. f(2) = f(1) + 2 = 18 + 2 = 20
2. f(3) = f(2) + 2 = 20 + 2 = 22
3. f(4) = f(3) + 2 = 22 + 2 = 24
4. f(5) = f(4) + 2 = 24 + 2 = 26

Therefore, f(5) = 26.