To identify the correct exponential function for the geometric sequence 40, 160, 640, ..., we first need to determine the first term and the common ratio.
- The first term \( a_1 \) is 40.
- To find the common ratio \( r \), we can divide the second term by the first term: \[ r = \frac{160}{40} = 4 \]
Now, we can write the formula for a geometric sequence, which is given by: \[ a_n = a_1 \cdot r^{n-1} \] Substituting in our values \( a_1 = 40 \) and \( r = 4 \), we have: \[ a_n = 40 \cdot 4^{n-1} \]
So the correct choice from the given options is: \[ a_n = 40(4)^{n-1} \] Thus, the answer is: an=40(4)n−1