Question

THE

The first three terms of an arithmetic sequence are as follows.
31, 24,17
Find the next two terms of this sequence.

Answer 1

10, 3

Explanation:

We want to find the common difference in this arithmetic sequence.

31 - 24 = 7 and 24 - 17 = 7, so 7 is the common difference.

The fourth term is then 17-7 = 10. The fifth term is 10-7 = 3.

Answer 2

The sequence would now look like this: 31, 24, 17, 10, 3

The next two terms are 10 and 3.

Explanation:

Look for a pattern among these numbers:

31 24 17

31 comes down to 24, meaning it went down 7 units.

24 comes down to 17, meaning this, too, went down 7 units.

So, what's' the pattern? The numbers are being subtracted by 7.

17 – 7 = 10

10 – 7 = 3

Thus, 10 and 3 are the next terms.