Arithmetic Series Introduction

(Criterion B Formative Assessment)

An arithmetic series is the sum of an arithmetic sequence. For example:

2  6  10  14  18

1  2  3  ...  10 (This means 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 )

7  10  13  ...  40 (This means 7  10  13  16  19  22  25  28  31  34  37  40 )

Level 1 – 2

1. Write down the value of the following series:

a) 1  2  3  4 …………………………………………………………

b) 2  5  8  11  14 …………………………………………………………

c) 10  6  2  ( 2) …………………………………………………………

d) 8  13  18  ...  33 …………………………………………………………

e) 10  12  14  ...  30 …………………………………………………………

f) (3)  (5)  (7)  ...  (19) …………………………………………………………

g) 2  (1)  (4)  ...  (16) …………………………………………………………

2. In each of the following, write down how many terms are being added together. For example, in the
series 2  5  8  11  14  17 there are 6 terms being added together. In the series 3  5  7  9 there
are 4 terms being added together.

a) 9  7  5  3  1 …………………………………………………………

b) 15  18  21  24  27  30  33 …………………………………………………………

c) (4)  (7)  (10)  (13) …………………………………………………………

d) 7  11  15  ...  51 …………………………………………………………

e) 3  10  17  ...  45 …………………………………………………………

f) 1  7  13  ...  37 …………………………………………………………

g) 3  (1)  (5)  ...  (41) …………………………………………………………

3. If the first term is t1 and the last term is t n show that the number of terms in a series is equal to

tn  t1
n  1.
d

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4. Consider the following series:

4  7  10  13  16  19  22  25

a) Write down the value of the following:

i) t1  t8 ………………………… ii) t2  t7 …………………………

iii) t3  t6 ………………………… iv) t4  t5 …………………………

b) What do you notice about your answers? …………………………………………

c) Write down a simple multiplication which represents the value of this series. Calculate this value.

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5. Consider the following series:

(2)  2  6  10  14  18  22  26  30  34  38  42

a) Write down the value of the following:

i) t1  t12 ………………………… ii) t2  t11 …………………………

iii) t3  t10 ………………………… iv) t4  t9 …………………………

v) t5  t8 ………………………… vi) t6  t7 …………………………

b) What do you notice about your answers? …………………………………………

c) Write down a simple multiplication which represents the value of this series. Calculate this value.

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 Level 5 – 6

6. For the following series

i) Write down the common difference

a) 1  2  3  ...  10 i) …………………………………………

ii) …………………………………………

iii) …………………………………………

iv) …………………………………………

b) 3  9  15  ...  45 i) …………………………………………

ii) …………………………………………

iii) …………………………………………

iv) …………………………………………

c) 4  11  18  ...  1411 i) …………………………………………

ii) …………………………………………

iii) …………………………………………

iv) …………………………………………

d) (9)  (13)  (17)  ...  (213) i) …………………………………………

ii) …………………………………………

iii) …………………………………………

iv) …………………………………………
 Level 7 – 8

7. Consider the series 4  8  12  ...  404 .

a) Complete the following:

S = 4 + 8 + 12 + … + 400 + 404

+ S = 404 + 400 + ____ + … + ___ + ___

2S = ___ + ___ + 408 + … + 408 + 408

b) Calculate how many terms there are. ………………………………………………………

c) Write down an equation involving only S. Solve the equation to find the value of S.

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8. Using the same method as the previous question show that the sum S n of the first n terms of an
arithmetic sequence with common difference d is

S n  2t1  (n  1)d 
n
2

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9. Show that an alternative formula for the sum S n of the first n terms of an arithmetic sequence is

n
Sn  (t1  tn )
2

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10. Calculate

a) The sum of all odd numbers between 200 and 350.

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b) The sum of the first 200 even numbers greater than 10.

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c) The sum of the 50 largest odd numbers less than 300.

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d) The sum of the 80 smallest positive integers not divisible by 7.

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