Question

Is the following sequence arithmetic or geometric? Find the common difference or ratio, depending on which one it is: 32, 8, 2, ....

Answer 1

Explanation:

The given sequence is geometric.

To find the common ratio (r) of the sequence, we need to divide any term by its preceding term. Let's divide the second term (8) by the first term (32):

r = 8/32 = 1/4

Now, we can use the formula for a geometric sequence to find any term:

an = a1 * r^(n-1)

where:

an = nth term of the sequence

a1 = first term of the sequence

r = common ratio

n = position of the term we want to find

Let's use this formula to find the third term:

a3 = 32 * (1/4)^(3-1) = 2

So, the common ratio of the sequence is 1/4, and each term is obtained by multiplying the preceding term by 1/4. The sequence is decreasing rapidly because the ratio is less than 1.