Asian Development Foundation College

Tacloban City

Topic: Pattern, Arithmetic Sequence and Series

Lesson No. 1
Learning Outcome:
The learner:
1. generates pattern.
2. illustrates an arithmetic sequence.
3. determines arithmetic means, nth term of an arithmetic sequence and sum of the terms of a given
arithmetic sequence.

Methods of Assessment: Seatwork, Quiz

Assessment Criteria:

Key Concepts:
1. A sequence is a set of numbers or figures based on a pattern or rule.
2. Each member of a sequence is called a term.
3. An arithmetic sequence or arithmetic progression is a sequence with a common difference.
4. An arithmetic series is the sum of the terms of an arithmetic sequence.

Key Terms:
1. Pattern
2. Sequence
3. Terms
4. Common Difference
5. Arithmetic Means
6. Arithmetic Sequence
7. nth term
8. Arithmetic Series

References:
Realistic Mathematics
Math for Engaged
Learning

Links:

https: //vitualnerd.com/algebra-2/sequences-series/arithmetic/arithmetic-sequence/arithmetic
sequence definition
https://www/virtualnerd.com/algebra-2/sequences-series/series definition. Php
https://youtu.be/GZH68SubgRE
http://mathispower4u arithmetic series
 Asian Development Foundation College
Tacloban City

Lesson No. 1: Pattern, Arithmetic Sequence and Series

Commuters can determine their train fare knowing that the fare is increased by five pesos after every
station from where they boarded. If the base fare is P15.00, how much would a passenger pay if he or she will
board on the first station and alight at the fourth one? What if he or she will alight at the eighth station?
Let us analyze the problem by making a list of fare per station:
Station 1: 15
Station 2: 15+5 = 20
Station 3: 20+5 = 30
Station 4: 25 +5 = 30
Station 5: 30+5 = 35
Station 6: 35 +5 = 40
Station 7: 40 + 5 =45
Station 8: 45 + 5 = 50

Answer: The passenger has to pay P30.00 if he will alight on the fourth station and P50.00 if he will alight on
the eighth station.
The problem shows a pattern where P5 is added upon reaching the next station.

Let us try to identify the pattern and the next shape and number in the following examples:

1.

Answer:

2. 3 , 6 , 9, 12_________Answer: 15
3. 1, 4, 9, 16________Answer: 25
4. 10, 6, 2, -2 Answer: -6
5. 100, 70, 40, 10 Answer: -20

The examples above illustrate sequences involving a specified sets of numbers.

A sequence is a set of numbers or figures based on a pattern or rule. Each member of the
sequence is called a term.

We use three dots to indicate that the sequence goes on infinitely.

Example 1:
In the sequence { 3,5,7,9,11….} we can denote the terms as follows.
a1 = 3
a2 = 5
a3 = 7
a4 = 9
a5 = 11

The nth term is denoted by an = 2n+1

Let us go back to the initial problem on the train fare:

The sequence can be written as
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Tacloban City

15 , 20 , 25 , 30 , 35 , 40 , 45 , 50

5 5 5 5 5 5 5
There is a difference of 5 between any term and the term before it.
This is an example of an arithmetic sequence or arithmetic progression, in which the difference between any
two consecutive terms is a constant and this is termed as common difference.
The common difference is denoted as d.
To generalize, we have
a1, a2 , a3 , a4 , a5 , …, an

d d d d

where d = an - an-1

Example 2
Is 5, 12, 19, 26, … an arithmetic sequence? If yes, what is the 15th term of the sequence?
Answer: Yes, because there is a common difference of 7.
Solution: Since we are looking for the 15th term, the value of n is15 or n=15.
a1 = 5 a1 = a1
a2 = 12 a2 = a1+d
a3 = 19 a3=a1 + 2d
a4 = 26 a4 = a1 + 3d
an = ? an = a1 + (n-1)d
Therefore:
an = a1 +( n – 1)d
a15 = 5 + (15-1)7
a15 = 5+ (14)7
a15 = 5 + 98
a15 = 103

So, the 15th term is 103.

The formula an = a1 + (n-1)d can be used to determine the nth term of a given arithmetic sequence without
listing the previous term, an-1.

Example 3:
What is a20 in an = 6n -1?

Solution:
n = 1 ; a1 = 6(1) - 1 = 5
n = 2 ; a2 = 6(2) - a = 11
n = 3 ; a3 = 6(3) - 1 = 17
d = a3 - a2 = 17 - 11 = 6
an = a1 + (n-1)d
a20 = 5+(20-1) (6) = 119

Answer: The 20th term is 119.

Example 4:
In an arithmetic sequence, the first term is 4 and the common difference is 3. Which term is 301?

Solution:
a1 = 4, d=3 , an = 301
301 = 4+ (n-1) (3)
301 = 4 +3n-3
300 = 3n
100 = n
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Tacloban City

Answer: The term 301 is the 100th term.

Example 5
In an arithmetic sequence, the third term is 38 while the ninth term is 2. What is the nth term?

Solution:
a3=38 and a9 = 2, then 38 + 6d =- 2.

Solving for d, we have:

6d = 2 - 38
6d = 36
d = -6

We need to determine the first term.

an = a1 + (n-1)d
a3 = a1 + (3-1) (-6)
a3 = a1 + 2 (-6)
38 = a1 + (-12)
38 + 12 = a1
50 = a1

Then, we get the expression to represent the nth term.

an = 50 + (n-1) (-6)
an = 50 - 6n + 6

Answer: an = -6n + 56

ARITHMETHIC MEANS
Arithmetic means are the terms between any two non-consecutive terms in an arithmetic sequence.

In an arithmetic sequence 2,5,8,11,14, the arithmetic means between 2 and 14 are 5, 8 and 11.

Example 6: 6+d 6+2d 6+3d 6+4d

Insert three arithmetic means between 6 and 30. (This could be represented as 6, , , , 30).

Solution: a1 = 6 , a5 = 30 and n=5 a1 a2 a3 a4 a5

Solving for d using an = a1 + (n-1)d

30 = 6+(5-1)d
30 = 6 +4d
24 = 4d
6=d

Hence, 6 + 6 = 12 , 12 + 6 = 18, and 18 + 6 = 24

Answer: The arithmetic means are 12 , 18 and 24.

Example 7
Insert an arithmetic mean between 5 and 13
5+13
Solution: =9
2

Answer: The arithmetic mean is 9.

 Asian Development Foundation College
Tacloban City

ARITHMETIC SERIES

An arithmetic series is the sum of the terms of an arithmetic sequence.

𝑛
The formula in determining the sum
of the number of terms, denoted by Sn, of an arithmetic sequence is Sn= 2a1 + (n-1)d
2

𝑛
Since an = a1 + (n-1)d and Sn = a1 + a1 (n-1)d , then
2
The other formula is written as
𝑛
Sn = a1 + an
2

Example 8:
Determine the sum of the first 10 terms of the arithmetic sequence 4,15,26,37,…

Solution:
a1=4 , d=11 and n=10 or 𝑆
𝑛
(𝑎 + 𝑎 ) 𝑎 𝑎 + (𝑛 − 1)𝑑
𝑛= 2 1 𝑛 𝑛= 1
𝑛
Sn= 10
2a1 + (n-1)d 𝑆 = (4 + 103) 𝑎 4 + (10 − 1)11
10 10=
2 2

𝑆10 = 5(107) 𝑎10=4 + (9)11

S10 10 2(4) + (10-1) 11
= 2 𝑆10 = 535 𝑎10=4 + 99
S10 = 535
𝑎10=103

Answer: The sum of the first 10 terms is 535.

Example 9:
There is a stack of boxes in a warehouse. There are 20 boxes in the bottom layer, 19 in the second, 18 in
the third, and so on. The last layer has only one box. How many boxes are there in the stack?
Solution:
a1 = 20, d = -1, and n=20
20
S20 = 2(20) + (20-1) (-1)
2
S20 = 210

Answer: There are 210 boxes in all in the stack.

Look at the following table to get an idea of how an arithmetic sequence differ from an arithmetic series.

Arithmetic Sequence Arithmetic Series

2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 2+4+6+8+10
-8 , -2 , 4 -8+(-2)+4
a1 , a2 , a3, …, an a1 + a2 + a3 +…+ an