Modules in Mathematics Grade 10

Mryna E. Cornillez
Faculty, UEPLHS

Module 1
Patterns and Sequences

Overview

Sequences and its related topic are important concepts in many branches of
mathematics. They also arise naturally in many real life situations. Sequential patterns have
been observed in beehive construction, pine cone, sunflower, and pineapple structures.

In this module you will learn about patterns and sequences. You will learn how to find
the next term of a given sequence. You will also learn what arithmetic sequence is. You will
also learn how to work with arithmetic mean(s) or term(s) between two terms, and the nth
term of a given sequence. You will learn how to find the sum of the terms of a given
arithmetic sequence. Your knowledge on fundamental operations including integers will be of
great help in this module.

Learning Outcomes

After learning this module, you should be able to:

1. generate patterns;
2. illustrate an arithmetic sequence; and
3. determine arithmetic means, nth term of an arithmetic sequence and sum of the
terms of a given arithmetic sequence

1.1 Patterns and Sequences

A supermarket displays canned goods by stocking

them, so that there are 10 rows of cans with 3 cans in the
top row. If each row, below the top row, had two more cans
than the rows just above it, how many cans could there be
at the bottom row?

Starting from the top row, the number of cans in each row can be listed as follows:

3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21

The stocks of cans are arranged in some order such that there are two cans more
below each row. Any such ordered arrangement of a set of numbers is called a sequence.

The list of numbers 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 is called a sequence. Each of the
numbers of a sequence is called a term of the sequence. The first term in the sequence is 3,
the second is 5, while the third term is 7 and the 10th term is 21.

Sequences are classified as finite and infinite. A finite sequence contains a finite
number of terms.

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 Examples: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . . , 8

1, -1, 1, -1

Each example above is a finite sequence because each sequence has its last term.

An infinite sequence contains an infinite number of terms. The ellipsis, “...” at the
end is used to show that a sequence is infinite.

Examples: 1, 3, 5, 7, . . .

2, 4, 8, . . .

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, . . .

Each example above is an infinite sequence because it has no last term, which
means it continues infinitely.

Definition
A sequence is a set of numbers written in specific order:

a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, . . . , an.

The number a1 is called the 1st term, a2 is the 2nd term, and in
general, an is the nth term.

A sequence is a function whose domain is the set of natural

numbers or a subset of consecutive positive integers.

You can easily find the next term in a sequence by simply discovering a pattern as to how
the terms are formed. You will find that either a constant number is added or subtracted or
multiplied or divided to get the next term or a certain series of operations is performed to get
the next term.

Find the next two terms of each sequence.

a. 5, 8, 11, 14, … c. 7, 14, 28, 56, …

b. 15, 7, -1, -9, … d. 24, -12, 6, -3, …

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a. In the given sequence:

5, 8, 11, 14, … ,

+3 +3 +3

a term is obtained by adding +3 to the previous term.

5th term: 14 + 3 = 17

6th term: 17 + 3 = 20

b. Observe that in the sequence:

15, 7, -1, -9, … ,

-8 -8 -8

a term is obtained by adding -8 to the previous term.

Thus, the 5th term: -9 + (-8) = -17 and

the 6th term: -17 + (-8) = -25.

c. In the sequence:

7, 14, 28, 56, … ,

x2 x2 x2

a term is obtained by multiplying the previous term by 2.

Thus, the 5th term: 56 x 2 = 112 and

the 6th term: 112 x 2 = 224.

d. In the given sequence:

24, -12, 6, -3, … ,

1 1 1
x(− ) x(− ) x(− )
2 2 2

1
a term is obtained by multiplying the previous term by − .
2

1 3
5th term: -3 x(− ) =
2 2

3 1 3
6th term: x (− ) = −
2 2 4

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 A sequence has a definite pattern that can be expressed by a rule formula. In the
simple sequence 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, . . . each term is paired with a natural number by the rule a n =
2n. Notice how the formula an = 2n gives all the terms of the sequence.

Substitute n by 1, 2, 3, and 4 in an = 2n:

an = 2n an = 2n an = 2n an = 2n
a1 = 2(1) = 2 a2 = 2(2) = 4 a3 = 2(3) = 6 a4 = 2(4) = 8

a. Find the first four terms of the sequence whose general term is given by
an = 2n – 1.
(−1)𝑛
b. Find the first 5 terms of the sequence defined by a n = .
2𝑛

a. To find the first, second, third and fourth terms of this sequence, simply substitute
1, 2, 3, 4 for n in the formula an = 2n – 1.

If the general term is an = 2n – 1, then the

1st term is a1 = 2(1) – 1 = 1

2nd term is a2 = 2(2) – 1 = 3
3rd term is a3 = 2(3) – 1 = 5
4th term is a4 = 2(4) – 1 = 7

The first four terms of this sequence are the odd numbers 1, 3, 5 and 7. The whole
sequence can be written 1, 3, 5, 7, . . . , 2n – 1.

b. By simple substitution,

(−1)1 1
1st term: a1 = =−
21 2
(−1)2 1
2nd term: a2 = =
22 4
(−1)3 1
rd
3 term: a3 = =−
23 8
(−1)4 1
4th term: a4 = =
24 16
(−1)5 1
th
5 term: a5 = =−
25 32

(−1)𝑛 1 1 1 1 1
The first five terms of the sequence defined by a n = are: − , , − , , − .
2𝑛 2 4 8 16 32

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 A. Write F if the sequence is finite of I if the sequence is infinite.
1) 2, 3, 4, 5, . . . , 10
2) 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25
3) 3, 4, 9, 14, 19, . . .
4) 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, . . . , 144
1 1 1 1
5) , , ,
4 9 16 25

B. Write the first four terms of the sequence whose nth term is given by the
formula.
1. an = n2 – 1
2. an = 3n
3. an = n – 1
4. an = 1 – 2n
1
5. an = n2 –
𝑛

1.2 Arithmetic Sequence

Look at the following sequences:

a. 4, 7, 10, 13, . . .
b. 33, 38, 43, 48, . . .
c. -2, -6, -10, -14, . . .
d. 100, 98, 96, 94, . . .
1 1
e. , 1 , 1 , 2, . . .
2 2

Can you give the next two terms of each sequence above? How did you get the next
terms in each case?

If you get the next two terms and the number added to the preceding terms to get the
next term then you are correct.

1. next two terms: 16, 19 the number added: 3

2. next two terms: 53, 58 the number added: 5
3. next two terms: -18, -22 the number added: -4
4. next two terms: 92, 90 the number added: -2
1 1
5. next two terms: 2 , 3 the number added:
2 2

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 Arithmetic Sequence

A sequence which consecutive terms have a common

difference is an arithmetic sequence.

The sequence a1, a2, a3, …, an, is an arithmetic if there is a

number d such that:

a2 – a1 = d, a3 – a2 = d, a4 – a3 = d

and so on. The number d is the common difference in the

arithmetic sequence.

In order to identify if a pattern is an arithmetic sequence we must examine

consecutive terms. If all consecutive terms have a common difference you can conclude that
the sequence is arithmetic.

Consider the sequence of numbers below. Find the next four terms of each.

a. 5, 25, 45, 65, . . . b. -9, -4, 1, 6, . . .

First, find the common difference by subtracting the 1 st term from the 2nd term, the 2nd from
the 3rd and so on.

a. 5, 25, 45, 65, . . .

25 – 5 = 20; 45 – 25 = 20; 65 – 45 = 20

The common difference is 20. The fixed number 20 is added to the preceding terms
to get the succeeding terms.

The next four terms are: 85,105, 125, 145

b. -9, -4, 1, 6, . . .

-4 – (-9) = -4 + 9 = 5 1 – (-4) = 1 + 4 = 5 6–1=5

The common difference is 5. So the next four terms are: 11, 16, 21, 26.

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Can you give the 100th term of the arithmetic sequence -8, -3, 2, 7, . . . ?

Knowing the common difference, you can, but it would not be easy listing the
sequence of numbers from -8, our first term or a1, to the 100th term or a100. You need to use
an equation to determine the nth term of the arithmetic sequence.

Formula for the nth term of an Arithmetic Sequence

The nth term, an, of an arithmetic sequence with first term, a 1, and
common difference, d, is given by

an = a1 + (n – 1)d,

a. Find the 5th term of the arithmetic sequence for which the first term is 9 and the
common difference is 7.

b. In the arithmetic sequence 1, 8, 15, 22, . . . , which term equals 519?

a. Given: a1 = 9, n = 5, and d = 7 Find: a5

Substitute the given values in the formula:

an = a1 + (n – 1)d
a5 = 9 + (5 – 1)7
= 9 + (4)7
= 9 + 28
a5 = 37

Therefore, 37 is the 5th term or a5 of the sequence.

b. Given: an = 519, a1 = 1, d = 7 Find: n

Substitute the given values in the formula:

an = a1 + (n – 1)d
519 = 1 + (n – 1)7
519 = 1 + 7n – 7
519 = 7n – 6
519 + 6 = 7n
525 = 7n
525
=n
7
n = 75

Therefore, 519 is the 75th term or a75 of the arithmetic sequence.

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 1. Determine whether the sequence is arithmetic or not. If it is, find the
common difference and the next three terms.
a) 2, 5, 8, 11, . . .
b) 2, -4, 6, -8, 10, . . .
c) -6, -10, -14, -18, . . .
d) 40, 42, 44, 46, . . .
e) 1.2, 1.8, 2.4, . . .

2. Find the term indicated in each of the following arithmetic sequence.

a) 2, 4, 6, . . . 15th term
b) 13, 16, 19, 22, . . . 25th term
c) 99, 88, 77, 66, . . . 18th term
d) 99, 87, 75, 63, . . . 12th term
1 1 3 1
e) , , , ,... 20th term
8 4 8 2

1.3 Arithmetic Means and the nth Term of an Arithmetic Sequence

The terms of an arithmetic sequence that are between two given terms are called
arithmetic means.

In the sequence 3, 6, 9, 12 the two arithmetic means between 3 and 12 are 6 and 9.

a. Find the two arithmetic means between 2 and 8.

b. Find the five arithmetic means between 5 and 47.

c. Find the arithmetic mean between 2 and 16,

a. Given two arithmetic means there are four terms in all. Assume that a 1 = 2 and
a4 = 8. Let us have the diagram of the sequence.

2, __, __, 8
a1, a2, a3, a4

an = a1 +(n – 1)d
8 = 2 + (4 – 1)d
8 = 2 + 3d

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 8 – 2 = 3d
6 = 3d
d=2

Since the first term, a1 is given and d = 2, then it will be easy for us to find the two
arithmetic means.
Hence,
a2 = 2 + 2 a3 = 4 + 2
a2 = 4 a3 = 6

The number 4 and 6 are the two arithmetic means between 2 and 8.

b. Given five arithmetic means there are seven terms in all. Assume that a 1 = 5 and
a7 = 47. Let us have a diagram of the sequence.

5, __, __, __, __, __, 47

a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7

an = a1 +(n – 1)d
47 = 5 + (7 – 1)d
47 = 5 + 6d
47 – 5 = 6d
42 = 6d
d=7

Hence, a2 = 5 + 7 = 12
a3 = 5 + 14 = 19
a4 = 5 + 21 = 26
a5 = 5 + 28 = 33
a6 = 5 + 35 = 40

The numbers 12, 19, 26, 33 and 40 are the five arithmetic means between 5 and 47.

c. Substitute the following given to the formula an = a1 +(n – 1)d.

a1 = 2 , a3 = 16
an = a1 +(n – 1)d
a3 = 2 + (3 – 1)d
16 = 2 + (3 – 1)d
16 = 2 + 2d
16 - 2 = 2d
14
=d
2
d=7

Add 7 to the first term 2 + 7 = 9.

Hence, the arithmetic mean between 2 and 16 is 9.

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The Nth Term of an Arithmetic Sequence

To find the formula for the general or nth term of any arithmetic sequence, we use
the same formula an = a1 +(n – 1)d.

a. Write a formula for the nth term of the given arithmetic sequence:
8, 12, 16, 20, 24,…

a. Each term after the first is 4 more than the previous term. Since the common
difference is 4 and the first term is 8, the nth term is given by
an = 8 + (n – 1)4
an = 8 + 4n – 4
an = 4n + 4
The formula for the given sequence above is an = 4n + 4
To check, substitute a few terms: a1 = 4(1) + 4 = 8
a2 = 4(2) + 4 = 12
a3 = 4(3) + 4 = 16

1. Solve what is asked:

a. Insert four arithmetic means between -1 and 14.
b. Insert one arithmetic mean between 24 and 68.
c. Insert three arithmetic means between -18 and 4.

2. Write a formula for the nth term of the following arithmetic sequence.
a) 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, . . .
b) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . .
c) 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, . . .

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1.4 Arithmetic Series

A conference hall has 20 rows of seats. The first row

contains 20 seats, the second row contains 22 seats,
the third row contains 24 seats, and so on. How many
seats are there in the last row? How many seats are
there in the conference hall?

We know that n = 20, a1 = 20, a2 = 22, a3 = 24, and d = 2. With this given, we need to use
the formula an = a1 +(n – 1)d for us to get the 20th term.
Substitute all the given values.
an = a1 +(n – 1)d
a20 = 20 + (20 – 1)2
= 20 + (19)2
= 20 + 38
a20 = 58
Thus, there are 58 seats in the last row.
Then we have to find the sum of 20, 22, 24, 26, 28,…, 58.
20 + 22 + 24 + 26 + 28 + 30 + 32 + 34 + 36 + 38 + 40 + 42 + 44 + 46 + 48 + 50 = 780

You will notice that the number of seats in each row form an arithmetic sequence. Thus the
indicated sum of the terms of an arithmetic sequence is called an arithmetic series and the
sum Sn is called the value of the series.

When many terms are to be added, more time and effort are needed. Let us find a shortcut
to find the sum Sn, of any arithmetic series.

The sum Sn of the first n terms of an arithmetic series is

𝑛
Sn = 2 (𝑎1 + 𝑎𝑛 ) or

𝑛
Sn = [2𝑎1 + (𝑛 − 1)𝑑]
2

where a1 is the first term, an is the nth term, n is the number

of terms, and d is the common difference.

Obviously, the first formula is used when the first term, the nth term, and the number
of terms are known. The second formula is used when the first term, the number of terms,
and the common difference are known.

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a. Find S10 if a1 = 5 and a10 = 68.

b. Find the sum of the first 15 odd numbers.

𝑛
a. Sn = (𝑎1 + 𝑎𝑛 )
2

10
S10 = (5 + 68)
2
10
= (73)
2

= 5(73)

S10 = 365

𝑛
b. Let a1 = 1, d = 2, and n = 15 in the formula Sn = [2𝑎1 + (𝑛 − 1)𝑑 ]
2

15
S15 = [2(1) + (15 − 1)2]
2

15
= [2 + (14)2]
2

15
= [2 + 28]
2

15
= [30]
2

450
=
2

S15 = 225

1. Find the sum of the terms in the arithmetic sequence for the
number of terms indicated.

a) 4 + 1 + (-2) + (-5) + . . . 40 terms

b) 6 + 12 + 18 + 24 + . . . 15 terms

2. Find the term asked by using the given values.

a) an = 45, a1 = 27, d = 9, n
b) an = 79, a1 = 7, d = 3, Sn

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Feedback

How did you go on with this module? Are the lessons somewhat familiar to you?
Perhaps they are no longer new to you since patterns were already introduced to you since
kindergarten.

Were you able to grasp the concepts of every subtopic through the given examples?
Did you have difficulty in answering the different assessments? I hope you have enjoyed the
parts in which you are but to discover the patterns of the given sequence.

Summary

 A sequence is a set of numbers written in specific order.

 An arithmetic sequence is a sequence in which the difference between any two
consecutive terms is a constant. This constant is called the common difference.
 Finite sequence contains a finite number of terms.
 Infinite sequence contains an infinite number of terms.
 Arithmetic mean(s) is/ are the terms of an arithmetic sequence that are between two
given terms.
 Series is the indicated sum of the terms of a sequence.
 Arithmetic series is the indicated sum of the terms of an arithmetic sequence.
 The nth term of an arithmetic sequence is
an = a1 +(n – 1)d
where a1 is the first term and d is the common difference.
 The sum of an arithmetic series is
𝑛
Sn = 2 (𝑎1 + 𝑎𝑛 )
where a1 is the first term, an is the nth term and n is the number of terms.

Suggested Readings
https://www.mathisfun.com/algebra/sequence-sums-arithmetic.html

https://www.mathplanet.com/education/algebra-2/sequences-and-series/arithmetic-
sequences-and-series

References
Oronce, Orlando A. and Mendoza, Marilyn O., E-Math 10. Rex Printing Company, Inc.

Orines, Fernando B., et al. Next Century Mathematics 10. Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.,
Quezon City

Mathematics Self-Instructional Module for Open High School Program Grade 10

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