Asked by Anonymous

Consider the sequence 12, 5, -2, -9

Determine the formula for the general term of the sequence:

tn = a + (n-1)d
tn = 12 + (n-1)-7
tn = 12-7n + 7
tn = -7n + 19

I got -7n +19 as the answer, but at the back of the book, it says.. tn = 19-7n. I have no idea how the numbers got mixed up :\

Answers

Answered by MathMate
Both are correct, and mathematically equivalent.

A linear expression is usually presented the way you did, i.e. the term with the variable first, followed by the constant:
-7n+19.

However, there are times that we want to get rid of the annoying leading negative sign (if there are positive terms), and place the positive term first.
There are no AI answers yet. The ability to request AI answers is coming soon!

Related Questions