Given the first five terms of the sequence 19, 15, 11, 7, 3 . . . , use subscript notation to describe a7 .(1 point)

Responses

a7=−4
a subscript 7 baseline equals negative 4

a7=−5
a subscript 7 baseline equals negative 5

a7=−1
a subscript 7 baseline equals negative 1

a7=−9

1 answer

To find \( a_7 \) of the sequence given by the terms 19, 15, 11, 7, 3, we first need to identify the pattern.

Looking at the sequence:

  • The first term \( a_1 = 19 \)
  • The second term \( a_2 = 15 \)
  • The third term \( a_3 = 11 \)
  • The fourth term \( a_4 = 7 \)
  • The fifth term \( a_5 = 3 \)

We can see that each term decreases by 4:

  • \( a_2 - a_1 = 15 - 19 = -4 \)
  • \( a_3 - a_2 = 11 - 15 = -4 \)
  • \( a_4 - a_3 = 7 - 11 = -4 \)
  • \( a_5 - a_4 = 3 - 7 = -4 \)

Thus, this is an arithmetic sequence where the first term \( a_1 = 19 \) and the common difference \( d = -4 \).

The general term \( a_n \) of an arithmetic sequence can be expressed as: \[ a_n = a_1 + (n-1) \cdot d \]

Substituting in our values: \[ a_n = 19 + (n-1)(-4) \] \[ a_n = 19 - 4(n-1) \]

Now, let's find \( a_7 \): \[ a_7 = 19 - 4(7-1) \] \[ a_7 = 19 - 4(6) \] \[ a_7 = 19 - 24 \] \[ a_7 = -5 \]

Thus, the correct response is: \[ \text{a}_7 = -5 \]

So, the answer is: a7=−5