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2 votes
An arithmetic sequence is given below.

17, 13, 9, 5, ...
th
Write an explicit formula for the n
term an

User Aylon
by
6.8k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Explanation:

an arithmetic sequence means that any term is the result of the previous term + something.

a1 = 17

then we see that every term is the previous term -4.

a2 = a1 - 4

a3 = a2 - 4 = a1 - 4 - 4 = a1 - 8

so, we see

an = an-1 - 4

an = a1 - 4×(n-1)

User Kyle Delaney
by
6.3k points